Extinction
by Zeta Kizzy
Summary: She had been missing for centuries. She returned home to Hueco Mundo find a few things had changed... and they were not for the better. The actions of one shinigami sparked the fury of a volatile hollow, leaving others to clean up the mess. 'Ships galore!
1. Prologue: Sangre

**Extinction**

**Prologue: Sangre**

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* * *

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A _garganta_ opened under the night sky of Hueco Mundo. At least, it can be assumed it was night...

A slim figure stepped out of the black hole. Its presence was immediately felt by all who resided in Hueco Mundo. From the Gillian deep below the surface of the sands in the Menos Forest to the former Espada in Las Noches, all paused and took notice of the new reiatsu as it made itself known.

"Something is... different than the way I remember it," the newcomer said quietly. They glanced around. Red eyes rested upon the white fortress that was Las Noches. "I don't quite remember my home looking like that..." The new being disappeared with a burst of sonido.

The being next appeared deep in the Menos Forest. It glanced around, searching for any signs of life. While it could feel the reiatsu of hollows around it, it made no move to react. They were mere Gillian-class Menos. They stood no chance against it. However, there was a particular reiatsu that sparked its interest not too far off. It masked its reiatsu and used sonido once again, going directly through a few Gillian with ease.

* * *

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques occasionally gave into his baser instincts. After all, as an Arrancar he was still a hollow. The hole was not there just for show. Though the feeling was not as prevalent, he still felt the need to eat souls every now and then. So, that was why he was in the Menos Forest finishing off a few unlucky hollows who happened to cross his path.

_Disgusting, but they'll do until next time. I should get back to Las Noches now_, he thought.

For 10 years, he had toiled in Hueco Mundo with the Espada who had been spared from the war. The truce between them and the shinigami was shaky to say the least. There was no written paper saying that they were at "peace." They basically said: "If you don't mess with us, we won't mess with you." The Espada mostly had Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends to thank for that. If not, the shinigami of Soul Society would have definitely executed them all.

Grimmjow had merely jumped from a tree when he felt the reiatsu behind him. He was immediately on his guard as he turned to face... nothing. Raising an electric blue eyebrow, he turned again, raising _Pantera_. The being in front of him blocked the strike with the back of their hand.

"You are a strange-looking one," it said.

Grimmjow pushed it away, but he had the sneaking suspicion that it had "allowed" itself to be thrown back. He took in the sight of it. It was obviously a hollow, the type of which was a mystery. He could not spot a hollow hole on it anywhere. Its mask resembled a Venetian mask. Red horns that resembled those of a Nubian ibex protruded from the top of its head, curving around the back, and were about a meter in length. Small red markings curved down to the right and left from the narrow left eyehole like eyelashes. A black 7-point star covered the right eye. The hollow had long auburn hair that was in a high ponytail just between its huge horns. Red and black markings covered what Grimmjow could see of its pale skin.

And that's what confused him. It was actually dressed. It was dressed sort of like Halibel. It wore red hakama tied with a white sash and a red bandeau top. That solidified the fact that the hollow was of the female persuasion, although it was not particularly well-endowed.

"So what are you? Half-shinigami or something?" the hollow asked. She said the word with mild distaste. She began approaching Grimmjow. He stood up straight, keeping _Pantera_ raised. The hollow disregarded it completely. "And what do you plan on doing with that?"

"What does it matter what I am? And I can do a helluva lot with this thing." Grimmjow prepared to attack again. Before he could, he felt a hand on his wrist. His eyes widened a bit. He noticed the hollow standing next to him.

"Do you always attack without just cause? I have given you no reason to attack me... yet," she said. She squeezed Grimmjow's hand slightly. Grimmjow felt his wrist snap like a twig under the pressure as it bend in an awkward angle and he dropped _Pantera_. She released him almost gently and he stumbled forward, holding his wrist to his chest.

_Her reiatsu is so low! It's fucking __**MINUSCULE**__ compared to mine! How the hell did she do that_? he raged in his mind as he glared at the hollow. She was currently staring off into space.

"You are wondering how I did that; how I could possibly be stronger and faster when my reiatsu suggests otherwise." She glanced over at him. "You wouldn't be able to survive under the pressure of my reiatsu. I'm simply suppressing it below yours at the moment. Now tell me. What exactly are you? I wouldn't want to have to beat it out of you."

"Fuck you," Grimmjow spat. The hollow sighed. She appeared in front of him and grabbed hold of his mask fragment.

"Is this key to some hidden power of yours? You have both the reiatsu of a hollow and a shinigami. I despise shinigami. Would it hurt terribly if I were to tear this off?" She pulled lightly. Grimmjow tried to squirm away from her. "Don't move. You'll only make it worse on yourself."

"You bitch! Let go of me!"

"That wasn't very nice." She pulled harder.

A yellow _cero_ hit the hollow, making her release Grimmjow right before she tore off his mask fragment. Grimmjow jumped back into a tree, holding his bleeding face. He looked to his left and saw Halibel. She was holding _Tiburón_. She glanced at Grimmjow and then at the hollow. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed her handiwork.

The hollow's mask had shattered on the right side. A red eye with a black sclera was staring at the shattered pieces in its hand with mild interest. Then the hollow let out a tired sigh.

"Damn. I suppose this one served its purpose for today. I'll make another later," she said. She dropped the pieces from her hand. Then she removed the rest of the mask. Grimmjow was a little shocked. First, she looked like a pale, chubby-faced teenager with gigantic, curved horns protruding from her forehead. Another 7-point black star was tattooed over her eye, much like her mask. Second, it was the fact that she had simply removed her entire mask as if that was something hollows did every day. Then she glared over at Halibel. "You're even stranger than he is. Cute outfit, though."

"Who are you?" Halibel asked. She did not sheathe _Tiburón_.

"Finally," the hollow looked at Grimmjow, "a _**SMART**_ question. I don't think you deserve an answer, though. You broke my mask. But, I can tell you're stronger than he is." She faced Halibel again. Halibel began charging another _cero_.

"I'll ask once more."

"And if I don't answer?"

"Who are you?" Halibel repeated. The hollow simply watched Halibel. "Very well." Halibel prepared to release the _cero_. She never saw the hollow move. She did not have time to stop her _cero_.

Grimmjow saw the massive explosion. He started jumping towards the site. When he arrived, he only saw the hollow. Halibel was nowhere to be seen. He jumped down and began stalking over to her. She turned around and blocked his strike deftly.

"Relax, baby blue. She's right there," she said while pointing up in a tree. Grimmjow glanced up. Halibel was up high, holding her side. She was covered in her own blood. Her jacket was blown open and half of her mask was missing. The hollow watched as she panted.

"What are you?" Halibel asked. The hollow smirked.

"I am a hollow." She squeezed Grimmjow's good hand, breaking every bone. "I am _**THE**_ hollow. I am the first. I will be the last. Hueco Mundo is my domain and I will not let some half-shinigami sell-outs dwell here. Apparently, the biggest mistake I ever made was leaving that fool Barragan in charge while I was gone," she said. She threw Grimmjow back.

"You mean Barragan wasn't the king of Las Noches?" Halibel asked weakly. The hollow stared at her blankly.

"That idiot said that?" Halibel nodded. "_**NO**_! I leave for a few centuries and everything goes to hell..." the hollow said with a sigh. Halibel looked at Grimmjow, who was recovering slowly. Then she looked back at the hollow. "What happened to Las Noches?"

"A shinigami named Aizen..."

"I don't need to hear anymore." The hollow glared up at Halibel. "The shinigami have had their chance. They have intruded on my domain one too many times." She released some of her reiatsu. Grimmjow immediately fell to his knees, struggling to breathe. Halibel struggled to stay on the branch in the tree. It felt as if their bones were being crushed. Then the hollow let up, returning to masking it. She turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Grimmjow asked.

"To find my followers. There's a reason Vasto Lorde don't dwell out in the open," she said. Then she stopped and turned her head. "And to answer your question, I am Sangre Negra. Remember it well, shinigami-hollows. I'll allow you to live for now, but you are on my list."

* * *

Elsewhere, in a completely different realm, a reading came up in the 12th Division. Akon raised an eyebrow as he stared at the screen. The reading for the reiatsu level that had just suddenly appeared in Hueco Mundo could not have been right. Then it suddenly disappeared as if it had never existed in the first place.

_Odd. It was higher than that of even the average Vasto Lorde. What in Hueco Mundo could possibly have that sort of reiatsu_? he asked himself. _It could just be a malfunction in the monitors with them reading more than one hollow at a time. No need to worry_.

Akon continued to go about his work, not giving the reading another thought. It would be far too late when he realized his grave error.

* * *

Grimmjow did not like his new predicament. One minute he had been minding his own business, having a light snack. The next, he was on the verge of having his mask fragment forcibly ripped off and both hands broken. He knew he could heal on his own accord. However, his mask fragment was a different story. It would heal, but it would heal at a far slower rate than his broken bones. That was why he was being dragged through the streets of Karakura Town with Neliel Tu Oderschvank towards Orihime Inoue's home.

"Is this really necessary?" Grimmjow asked. Nel turned and glared at him. "Fine."

"Your mask is fractured, dummy. It's dangerous for it to be like that. It's practically hanging off your face!" Nel yelled at him. Although they were in gigai at the moment, Nel had seen the damage that the mysterious hollow had imparted on Grimmjow and Halibel and she was none too pleased.

"Whatever," Grimmjow mumbled as they came to the apartment building.

Orihime opened the door on the second knock. She smiled when she noticed It was Nel, a frequent visitor. She saw Grimmjow moping behind her and immediately let them in.

"What brings you all to me?" Orihime asked as she led them to her living room.

"We have a favor to ask." Nel faced Grimmjow. "Get out of that gigai," she commanded. Grimmjow stared at her for a moment before reluctantly obeying. Orihime watched him. She tried not to gasp when she saw the horrid state of his mask fragment. The bottom portion was indeed practically hanging off. Dried blood was around it. Grimmjow crossed his arms and looked away. "Can you fix it?"

"I think so. I fixed yours after so many years. Grimmjow's shouldn't be too hard." Orihime moved over to him. "Soten Kisshun, I reject." The shield appeared around his face. "Do you mind me asking what did this? You didn't get in a fight with Ulquiorra, did you?"

"No," Grimmjow spat.

"Nope, although I am sure he thinks it would have been more dignifying if he had fought Ulquiorra... and lost. But, Grimmy got beat up by a girl," Nel quipped. Orihime looked down at her and Grimmjow shot her a look of death.

"She was _**NOT**_ a girl. She was a fucking _**MONSTER**_." He sighed. "She called herself Sangre-something-or-other. She seems to have a real hatred for shinigami."

"What do you mean by 'monster'?" Orihime asked. "And she hates shinigami?"

"She's a hollow, but she was... different. She was strong; even stronger than Halibel. She could take off her mask at will," Grimmjow said as the shield disappeared. Orihime stared at him in amazement.

"She could just take off her mask? Like Ichigo and Shinji?" she asked. Grimmjow nodded.

"Yeah. But she was an actual hollow. Halibel cracked her mask and she just got rid of it afterwards. It didn't seem to affect her at all."

"Does Urahara know this?"

"I told the hat man this. He didn't seem all that concerned until I told him that she said that she was _**THE**_ hollow. He seemed pretty concerned about that one." Grimmjow recalled his conversation with the store owner.

_"Can you describe this mystery hollow for me?" Urahara asked. Grimmjow sighed, somewhat annoyed with this line of questioning. He hated coming to the transient world. All he wanted to do was see Orihime and leave. Nel shoved him in the ribs and he gave her an evil glare._

_"She had an odd mask. She also had these ridiculously huge horns on her head. Even when she took her mask off the horns stayed. She had a lot of markings on her arms and chest. She had a tattoo of a star on her right eye and red hair. Good enough?" Grimmjow asked. Urahara nodded._

_"You seem to remember her pretty well even if she kicked your butt," Nel mumbled while giggling. Grimmjow looked down at her._

_"It was kinda hard not to notice because she was so different, Neliel." Grimmjow glanced back at Urahara as Nel kept giggling. "She also said something about being 'the hollow,' whatever that means."_

_Urahara tilted his hat back to look at Grimmjow. Those words carried more meaning than Grimmjow knew._

_"Thank you, Grimmjow. You should see Orihime as soon as possible," he said. Nel looked at him._

_"What about this mean hollow who attacked Grimmy and Tia?" Nel asked. Urahara smiled._

_"I promise it'll work itself out."_

Grimmjow touched his newly-healed mask fragment. He looked back at Orihime.

"Second time you've fixed me up. Thanks. Tell the strawberry everything I've said here." He turned to leave.

Orihime nodded and watched Nel and Grimmjow go. She sat there for a moment, thinking. Then she got up and moved to the phone. She dialed Ichigo's number. He would want to hear about the new hollow and the danger she posed.

"Hello, Ichigo? I just spoke to Grimmjow and Nel... Yeah, they're fine... Listen. I have something to tell you. Could you come get me... Thanks." She hung up.

Little did she know that it would be the last car ride she would take as a living person.

* * *

**AN: "Sangre Negra" together literally means "black blood" in Spanish.  
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**You know the deal: I don't own Bleach. I wish I did, but sadly that dream won't ever come true.**


	2. Chapter 1: Promotion

**Extinction**

**Chapter 1: Promotion**

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* * *

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"Did you hear, captain?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked. She was lounging at her desk. A stack of paperwork was sitting to her right, waiting to be completed. There were only about two or three completed pieces in the outbox to her left. Toshiro Hitsugaya looked up at his subordinate.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, shouldn't you be doing that paperwork that has been there for a week?" he asked. Rangiku sighed and shrugged.

"Sure. I'll do it after I tell you this. But, have you heard about the Ninth Division and Fifth Division, captain?" Rangiku asked.

Toshiro finally looked up from his work. Since the Winter War had ended over 10 years ago, Shuuhei Hisagi had basically been running the 9th Division on his own. It was strange that no one had stepped up to take the reigns as captain, not even Hisagi. The same went for the 3rd Division. Kira had been running it alone as well, at least until Renji Abarai had been made captain.

The 5th Division was a special case, however. Some saw it as cursed. Finding a captain was not the problem. It had been receiving loads of applications for the post of captain. The thing about it was that every captain would eventually meet some... gruesome, grotesque fate.

"What happened?" Toshiro asked, trying to sound disinterested.

"Well, it seems that Captain Suzemusha was killed in a freak accident involving the Senkaimon. That's the sixth one since Aizen, right? I wonder who they'll get next for the job..." Rangiku looked up at the ceiling. "Who would you nominate for the position, captain?"

Toshiro thought about the question for a moment. There was not anyone who was qualified as far as he knew. To be a captain, one of the key requirements was that you had to have a bankai. The 5th Division was also known for its members being relatively experienced with kido. Momo was a kido master herself. So it only made since for the captain to be pretty good with kido as well. He only knew one person that was pretty efficient at kido and knew kido to a captain-level extent. He looked down at his paperwork.

"I have one person who may be qualified for the job," Toshiro said. Rangiku looked over at him.

"Really? Who?"

"Ren Awai. I was in the academy with him. He excelled at kido."

"So where is this Ren now?" Rangiku asked. Toshiro sat back in his chair and looked at Rangiku.

"Once the Onmitsukido gets a hold of you, you sort of disappear."

* * *

Soi Fon kneeled on a tree. Her sharp, dark eyes moved from side to side. She suddenly jumped into the air, dodging two reiatsu-charged knives. She hovered in the air for a moment, looking at the spot where she had been. Then she turned, blocking the jab from her opponent. Soi Fon brought her right leg around only to have it blocked with her opponent's leg. Her opponent blocked it easily with her own leg. Soi Fon frowned and broke away from the lock, disappearing.

They met up in different positions before breaking away from each other in a blur of punches and kicks. Soi Fon repeatedly dodged the knives. She thought about releasing her own zanpakuto, but her opponent had not released hers. Instead, she reversed her direction and they locked legs, preventing any movement.

"You have definitely gotten better," Soi Fon smirked, "Awai," she said.

"Your praise is much appreciated, captain." The silver-haired girl with gray eyes and caramel skin smirked as well. She managed to break free of the hold her captain had on her. They landed on opposite trees and faced one another. "Is there a real reason you called me here, captain? I sense it was not just to spar with me."

"You are correct in assuming so, Awai." Soi Fon cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at her subordinate. "You have been my third seat for the past ten years," she said.

Yuri Awai was the 3rd seat of the 2nd Division as well as the Corps Commander of the Detention Unit of the Onmitsukido. She was the warden of the Maggot's Nest. She also accompanied Soi Fon on numerous secret missions on the basis that Soi Fon knew no one better at stealth than her. Soi Fon had even had Yuri hone her skills in shunpo with Yoruichi; she had _**THAT**_ much faith in the girl. However, Yuri was still a bit of an enigma.

"I have served you for ten years. That is correct, captain. Has my service been unacceptable?" Yuri asked. Soi Fon shook her head. "Then what is it?"

"You have heard of Captain Suzemusha's demise?" Soi Fon asked. Yuri nodded. "The Fifth Division needs a captain... again. I have nominated your brother for the position and I nominated you for the position of Ninth Division captain." Soi Fon crossed her arms.

Yuri stood there in shock. She lowered herself down on the thick branch she stood on and sat. Her eyes drifted to the forest floor and she looked at the leaves swirl in the wind. Soi Fon raised an eyebrow. The silence Yuri was giving her was starting to annoy her. Normally, she could not get the girl to shut up unless the occasion called for it.

" Both of us? Captain? Of the Fifth Division and Ninth Division?" Yuri looked up at Soi Fon. "But..."

"You both will make excellent captains of the respective divisions. You both have great leadership skills. You are both very skilled in combat, especially with your bankai. Most of all, your brother's kido skills are exceptional. He'd fit right in at the Fifth Division," Soi Fon cut her off. Yuri let out a low cackle.

"What about me at the Ninth? Are there even any females in that division? I like being in the Second. I like being in the Onmitsukido. I love my..."

"You are settling, Awai. You are far too talented to 'settle.' I appreciate the love you show for your work here, but I will not have a shinigami wasting good talent in my squad." Soi Fon smirked. "Your hearing is in two weeks. I suggest you get ready." She disappeared, leaving Yuri to think.

_What am I going to do_? Yuri thought.

* * *

When Soi Fon arrived back at her office, she had a guest waiting for her in the form of a black cat. She stared at the cat with the golden eyes for a moment before taking a seat at her desk.

"Hello, Lady Yoruichi," Soi Fon said. Yoruichi looked up at her.

"Why do you insist on calling me that, Soi Fon?" she asked.

"Old habits die hard. Why are you here?"

"I take it you told Yuri and Ren of your intentions," Yoruichi said. Soi Fon nodded. "And?" Yoruichi pressed. Soi Fon shrugged and sighed.

"The girl is somewhat hesitant, but she will be ready. She's always ready when the time arrives. Besides, do you know anyone else qualified for the job? And the boy was quite nonchalant about it. He's more than qualified for his. He's better at kido than I am. I'm surprised that he didn't apply for the Kido Corps to begin with," she said.

"Well, to have their position in the Onmitsukido you have to be relatively good at kido. You can't exactly use your zanpakuto in the Maggot's Nest. I'm surprised she's able to handle all those people with her size," Yoruichi said. "I never thought I'd see the day someone would be in this division that was actually smaller than _**YOU**_."

Soi Fon narrowed her eyes at the cat. Yuri was indeed shorter than Soi Fon, but only by two inches. She was very proud of her height, though. Like Soi Fon, she was intimidating enough by just her aura. Most of the division was afraid of her. However, Ren Awai was about a foot taller than Soi Fon.

"Not a lot of people even know either Awai exists, let alone that I have a third or fourth seat. They spend the majority of their time at the Maggot's Nest, training, or on missions with me. I think it will come as a surprise if they get the job because no one will know who they are," Soi Fon said.

"There are a few people who know who they are." Yoruichi paused. "Well, two."

"Who?"

"Yumichika Ayasegawa and Ikkaku Madarame," Yoruichi answered. Soi Fon raised an eyebrow in question. "I know it seems strange, but I've seen the siblings talking with them on occasion. They seem to be quite friendly with them, especially Yumichika."

"That would explain why Yuri's right hook is so good..."

* * *

Two weeks came and went. Yuri found herself flashing across the rooftops of the Seireitei undetected. She had not told anyone about her nomination. She continued all the way to the 11th Division's barracks. She came to a stop in front of whom she was searching for. Yumichika jumped back into Ikkaku. Ikkaku just sighed and pushed his friend off of him. He glanced over at the girl who had just suddenly appeared in front of Yumichika. She was looking up at the both of them, her eyes narrowed.

"What's up, Yuri?" Ikkaku asked. He was carrying a bokken. Yumichika straightened his clothing on himself and glared down at the shorter shinigami. His face softened when he noticed the worried look on her face.

"What is it, Yuri?" he asked.

"My captain nominated me to be captain of the Ninth and my test is soon," Yuri said breathlessly. "What do I do?" She looked between the two taller males. Ikkaku looked at Yumichika. Yumichika looked back at him. Then they both looked at her. Yuri hopped up and down urgently. "Guys?"

"That's great, Yuri. Aren't you tired of being head of the Detention Unit?" Ikkaku asked.

"That doesn't mean I want to be captain of a division!" Yuri leaned against the wall. "The Detention Unit is a piece of cake. I get to beat people up. I'm the warden of a fucking prison! If I get this job then I have to do paperwork and go to meetings and stuff."

"It's really not that bad, Yuri. Besides, maybe you'll finally make some friends," Yumichika said. Yuri glared at him. "Other than us, I mean. Your lieutenant would be a really nice guy."

"I don't do _**NICE**_, Yumi. And I only tolerate you two," Yuri said. She stopped talking when a rock hit her in the head. She growled and looked up.

"Stop bitching so much, Lily. If I have to be a captain, you have to be one, too." It was Ren, her twin brother. He had pale blond hair and hazel eyes in contrast to Yuri's silver hair and gray eyes. The only thing the two siblings had in common was their similar skin color. Other than that, they looked absolutely nothing alike. Yuri glared up at her brother.

"Who was asking you, _**LOTUS**_?" she asked. "Besides, at least your division would have a little diversity. I have a feeling that Captain Soi Fon only put me up for the Ninth because they have issues with letting women in their ranks. What am I going to do with a division full of men?" Yuri watched her brother jump down. He landed next to her.

"Shut up. You don't even know if you've got the job yet," he said as two hell butterflies floated up to the two. Yumichika and Ikkaku watched as the two received their messages.

"What is it?"

"They want to meet with us now!" she exclaimed. Ikkaku shrugged.

"Maybe there's a reason for that. Maybe they need to put captains in the positions as soon as possible. You should hurry, you know," he said. Yuri narrowed her eyes. She disappeared from sight. Ren shook his head. He nodded at Ikkaku and Yumichika before taking off behind his sister.

Yuri arrived at the 1st Division first. She looked down at her shihakusho and straightened it. Then she looked back at Ren as he walked up behind her. She straightened his as well while he glared down at her. She looked at the silver sash that she always wore and frowned.

_I should've changed it to the white one_, she thought. Sighing she shrugged and knocked on the door. She heard something that sounded vaguely like "enter" and did so.

Soi Fon was there. Jushiro Ukitake was there. Retsu Unohana was there. And Captain-Commander Yamamoto was there. Yuri felt herself sink back towards the door under their gaze. Behind her, Ren gave her a little push in the small of her back. Soi Fon was not looking at her, instead choosing to hold her eyes closed with her arms folded. Yuri swallowed and straightened up.

"Please come forward, Third Seat Awai and Fourth Seat Awai, so that we may begin the deliberations on your nominations for the captainships of the Ninth Division and Fifth Division, respectively," Yamamoto said.

"Yes, Captain-Commander Yamamoto," Yuri and Ren said as they nodded. Both walked forward to what Yuri thought was her impending doom.

* * *

A few days later, Rangiku was walking out of the 8th Division barracks with Nanao Ise at her side. She was shirking her duties... again. She was also hiding from her captain... again. If Toshiro found out she was being lazy, there would be hell to pay.

"Nanao, it's so _**BORING**_ in the summer. I'd almost wish for a hollow attack," Rangiku said.

"That isn't funny, Rangiku," Nanao said. Rangiku shrugged.

"At least then we'd have something to do."

Rangiku and Nanao stepped out of the way as a few shinigami carried boxes past them. They all mumbled their "hello's" to the two lieutenants as they passed. The two lieutenants watched with interest. The boxes looked like they came from the 2nd Division. Nanao caught sight of the insignia on one of them.

"Looks like they're headed to the Fifth Division," Nanao said.

"Do you think they're for the new captain? We still don't know who it is. Everyone's been really tight-lipped about him or her." Rangiku smiled. "Come on, Nanao. Let's go and see who," she checked the name on one of the passing boxes, "Captain Awai is." She grabbed Nanao's arm and pulled her off. Nanao sighed and allowed herself to be manhandled.

When the two got to the 5th Division, they saw Momo directing the shinigami with the boxes around. There was no sign of the new captain. Nanao and Rangiku approached Momo, dodging the shinigami of the 5th Division. The small lieutenant smiled when she saw them.

"Hey, guys," Momo said. She sounded out of breath.

"So what exactly is all this stuff, Momo? It can't be all for your captain," Rangiku asked as she watched some of the boxes head towards the captain's quarters. "Well, I guess they are," she whispered.

"Yeah. He's pretty much moving everything he had from the Second over here," Momo said. Nanao raised an eyebrow.

"The Second Division? And it's a man, eh?" she asked. Momo nodded and stepped up closer to them. She motioned for them to lean in closer.

"Watch what you say, though. He has a tendency to just appear out of nowhere," she said. Rangiku nodded.

"I don't understand, though. Doesn't the Fifth specialize in kido? How would someone from the Second Division be a kido master?" Nanao asked.

"I consider myself rather proficient at it," a deep and dry voice said from behind Rangiku and Nanao. The two straightened up. Momo shook her head. Both Rangiku and Nanao turned around slowly. A guy who looked no older than Toshiro in a normal shihakusho was standing there. His hakama were tied with an orange tie and his arms were folded in the sleeves of his white haori. His pale blond hair was up in a ponytail. It surprised both Rangiku and Nanao to see he had so much of it.

"This is Ren Awai, the new captain of the Fifth Division," Momo said. Rangiku and and Nanao just kept staring at the new captain. Momo sighed and looked back at Ren. "Captain, you really shouldn't sneak up on people," she said. Ren took his sly hazel eyes off of the two stunned lieutenants before him.

"I know, Momo. When you spend years in the Onmitsukido like I did, it comes second nature." Ren walked around the Rangiku and Nanao to get to Momo. "Is this the last of the boxes?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Momo, you don't have to be so formal. Anyway, could you gather everyone? I want to make a proper announcement," Ren said. Momo nodded nodded and left the office as Rangiku turned to look at Ren. Ren smiled at her. "Back in the realm of the living, I see."

"My captain told me about you," Rangiku said. Ren looked at her armband.

"I see. He must be Hitsugaya. I hope he only told you good things about me," he said. Rangiku shrugged.

"He didn't say much past you being good at kido and in the Onmitsukido. He said if he were to nominate anyone for this post, it would've been you." Here, Nanao looked at Rangiku. Rangiku nodded at her. Nanao looked over at Ren. She held her hand out to him.

"Nanao Ise, Lieutenant of the Eight Division," she said. Ren shook her hand. He looked at Rangiku next.

"Rangiku Matsumoto, Lieutenant of the Tenth Division."

"Well, ladies, I must ask you to refrain from calling me Captain Awai," Ren said. Nanao looked confused.

"Why? If we're in front of other superiors, namely the captain-commander, they're going to want to hear your proper title. We can't just call you 'Ren,'" she said. Ren smiled and sat down at his desk.

"Because I'm not the _**ONLY**_ Captain Awai."

* * *

Shuuhei Hisagi looked at the only female in his division: his new captain. He had to admit that upon first glance, nothing about her said "captain." Not even the way she was dressed said "captain." As a member of the Onmitsukido, she had not worn the shihakusho very often and therefore really had none to fall back on. So, her new outfit was... interesting to say the least. It was a strapless black top in place of the normal kimono top and black hakama. Her hakama were tied with a silver sash. She had her silver hair pinned up in a large bun with a lily in it. She also wore separated white bell sleeves on her arms in place of a haori.

_Oh well. The Ninth has had a history of having unique shinigami robes; none of us wear sleeves anyway. Hers will definitely be unique_, Hisagi thought. That was when she finally took notice of him.

"I didn't notice you there, lieutenant. You could actually give my brother a run for his money. Next time make yourself known." She stalked up to him. Hisagi had a good foot on her. As she sized him up, he felt oddly uncomfortable. "Has the division gathered?" she asked.

"Yes, captain," Hisagi said. She nodded. She gazed out the window with her sharp gray eyes.

"Hisagi?"

"Yes, captain?"

"Don't call me that." She looked at him. Hisagi nodded. "Yuri will suffice," she said.

"Okay," Hisagi said. Yuri walked past him.

When they made it out to the training grounds, the entire Ninth Division was waiting for her and Hisagi. They were talking amongst themselves and did not seem to notice the small girl with silver hair arrive. Hisagi stepped up beside her. Yuri cleared her throat.

"Excuse me!" she yelled. No one moved. She rolled her eyes. "_**EXCUSE ME**_!" she yelled a bit louder. Still, no one took heed of her. She heard Hisagi sigh next to her.

"Sorry. They can be a bit thick sometimes." He stepped up. "Hey! Your captain is speaking!"

Instantly, everyone looked over at him. Yuri crossed her arms as Hisagi looked over the group to make sure they were paying attention. Then he returned to his spot next to Yuri. Yuri suddenly felt very small next to him. She shook her head and stepped forward to get out of his shadow.

"I am Shirayuri Awai, but I go by Yuri. I will be your new captain. That means you will no longer report to Lieutenant Hisagi for everything." Yuri crossed her arms over her chest. "I also would like to inform you that I am not the _**ONLY**_ Captain Awai. The Fifth Division's captain goes by the same name. So any stories of mischief you hear are probably about him. Any questions?" Yuri looked around. A few hands went up and she picked one.

"Yeah, uh... Where were you before you became captain?"

"I was the Third Seat in the Second Division and the Corps Commander of the Detention Unit of the Onmitsukido." Yuri realized that they had no idea what that meant as the lot of them stared at her blankly. She inwardly smirked. "I was the warden of the Maggot's Nest."

After fielding several questions about her life, Yuri came to the one question that she hoped would not be asked.

"What are your battle skills like?" someone from her left asked. Hisagi immediately looked down at his new captain. She did not seem like she cared all that much about the question, but he could feel her reiatsu stirring on the inside. "I'm only asking because I'm pretty sure that's what everyone wants to know."

Yuri listened as her new squad started to mumbled amongst themselves. Her eyes traveled to the person who had asked the question. She caught sight of him laughing and joking with a friend. Hisagi blinked. He could have sworn Yuri had moved. His proof was there when the shinigami who had asked the question was scrambling to hold on to his hakama.

"Anyone else have a question about my battle prowess?"

* * *

Ren looked out over his new group. They were not the most intimidating bunch. In fact, they were far from it. He noticed that most of the girls were gazing at him dreamily. Inwardly smirking, he kept looking around. After sizing the group up, he cleared his throat.

"By now, I'm sure you know who I am. I'm Ren Awai, your new captain. However, I must ask that you refrain from calling me 'Captain Awai.' It'll get confusing." Ren crossed his arms over his chest. "I am very well aware of the current... situation with the captains of this division. I have no intention of getting caught in bizarre accidents. I'm here for the long haul, people."


	3. Chapter 2: The Irony

**Extinction**

**Chapter 2: The Irony**

**

* * *

**

Boredom.

It was a word that the hollow in red had become well-acquainted with. She resented being _bored_. She longed for activity and adventure. She was restless. But right now, she was _bored_.

Sangre had spent the past month doing one thing: finding the ones who remained loyal to her. It had not been too hard once she had released some of reiatsu. More often than not, they caught up with her. But something nagged at her...

_There should be more of them. Why are there only __**NINE**__ left? What exactly happened while I was gone_? she wondered to herself. She sat up, scratching the area between her horns. _These damn things are a nuisance. However_...

"Sangre!" someone yelled from below her. Sangre glared down below her. "Someone is here to see you," one of her followers said.

Sangre waved her hand, letting them know she was not going to move, but that they had her attention. She heard something moving beneath her. Her eyes began to narrow as she noticed nothing else was happening. Before she could say anything, there was a buzz of sonido and a hollow appeared across from her on the branch she sat on. Her eyes widened a bit and she just stared into glowing amber eyes.

"Hello, Sangre," it said. Sangre cleared her throat.

"Hello, Truenos. It's been a while," she said with a smile. The hollow known as Truenos nodded. "I see you found me while I was resting."

"It would appear so." Truenos sat down properly and folded his arms across his broad chest. "It is not too hard to find all of you. Nine Vasto Lorde all in one place? You are all screaming to be attacked."

"Please. If anyone is doing the attacking, it'll be me. I believe I showed you once the extent to which every hollow in Hueco Mundo would go to avoid me if possible. As long as I'm here, everyone is safe." Sangre looked down at the others. They were all watching the conversation between the two in the tree. "Perhaps you could enlighten me on why there are so few of you left, Truenos."

"Of course." Truenos looked down. "With Barragan left in charge of Las Noches, a lot of us decided to either roam the sands or stay below deep in the forest, as you suggested before your departure. Then three shinigami came and took over Las Noches, thereby taking over Hueco Mundo. We all but disappeared for our own safety. We were hunted for our power. We had one choice: join their 'army' or die. Those who refused died. Those who did not became what they call Arrancar. Our numbers dwindled drastically. That is why we are so few today." Truenos glanced back up. "You have been gone an awfully long time. Mind telling me what you've been doing all this time?" he asked pointedly. Sangre shrugged.

"Life happened," she said.

"_**LIFE**_ happened? That sounds strange coming from someone who isn't technically a living person," Truenos retorted. Sangre turned her head away from him. Truenos could tell she was leaving it up to interpretation. She obviously was not quite ready to tell him, her most trusted servant, of her whereabouts.

"There were Vasto Lorde who joined with these shinigami?" she asked suddenly while looking back at him. Truenos nodded. "Who were they?"

"Only four. Barragan, of course. The other three were rather young hollows; new to their evolutions. You may not have heard of them, but you will know them when you see them. Their power is unmistakable."

Sangre pondered in silence for a moment. She thought back to her encounter with the blue-haired one and the blonde one. Were they Arrancar? The blonde one's _cero_ was easily as powerful as the weakest among the Vasto Lorde she had with her. She let out a sigh and tilted her head up towards the darkness.

"Damn shinigami. They always know how to screw things over," she whispered. She looked down at all the masked faces of her followers. Sangre was an odd hollow in that she felt far more emotion than usual. She knew the most that they felt for her was an instinctive sense of loyalty as their leader. Vasto Lorde were very honorable creatures.

Truenos watched Sangre. He noticed she was not wearing her mask; something she should refrain from doing out in the open in Hueco Mundo. He also took note of her hair and horns.

_Both are much longer than I remember them being_, he thought. As if Sangre could sense his thoughts, she glanced over at him.

"I'm thinking about cutting it and I haven't the slightest clue as to why they grow like this. I look like a fucking goat. All I know is that they are... Stop ogling me like that. You're making me nervous," she griped.

"I was unaware that a being such as yourself was capable of such a feeling," Truenos said. Sangre shot him an angry glare. "Anyway, what are your plans?"

Sangre sat forward. She reached up and pulled the ribbon from her hair, letting her hair down. She held her right hand's index finger up. The nail began to grow longer and longer until it resembled a small blade. She took her hair and sliced it off so that it stopped at the back of her neck. She held the severed hair in her hand, tapping her temple with the sharp fingernail.

"That was easy." She broke the fingernail off with a _**SNAP**_ and glanced up at Truenos. "What do you think I'm going to do?"

"I don't know, Sangre. That's why I asked. You are quite unpredictable," Truenos said.

"Our kind is on the brink of extinction, Truenos. Not counting myself, since I'm technically not a Vasto Lorde, there are ten of you that remain. _**TEN**_." Sangre looked down at the others. "Returning the favor should not be too hard."

* * *

Orihime wandered aimlessly down the crowded street. She was not sure exactly what her destination was. She just continued to keep with the flow of people around her. She stopped at traffic lights. She waited for cars to pass. She even thought about helping an old woman cross the street before a young man beat her to the punch. She turned and looked in the window of a clothing store, admiring the different shirts.

_Rangiku would like that one_, she thought idly. Then she took note of her own reflection. Her smile disappeared as she noticed the chain protruding from her chest. _Oh yeah_...

Orihime's death was actually just typical. The sheer irony had actually made her laugh for a good twenty minutes while she watched the firefighters remove hers and Ichigo's bodies from the car. She had survived Arrancar, Aizen, and her own brother only to get taken out by a Mack truck.

After wiping the satirical tears from her face, she had run away from Ichigo, leaving him standing there. She did not know how long she had been wandering, but she guessed it was for the better part of a month. She could not help thinking that there was something she had been supposed to tell Ichigo. Her memory was beginning to fail her.

_Like it matters now. I'm dead_, she thought morbidly as she turned to keep walking.

By the time night fell, Orihime was sitting in a park. She stared up at the clear sky. She knew eventually someone would come need to find her. She was surprised that she had not been attacked by any hollows given her reiatsu. She let out a forlorn sigh.

"How long are you going to keep tailing me without saying anything?" she asked into the air.

"You aren't doing yourself any favors," a familiar voice said.

Orihime froze. It was a voice she had not heard in years. After the initial shock wore off, she exhaled slowly and turned her head. Ulquiorra Schiffer was approaching her. Nothing had changed about him since the last time she saw him. He had the same broken half-helmet, same pale skin, same jet black hair, same sad expression, and same beautiful jade eyes. She could only stare blankly for a moment before she started frowning.

"Your friends are looking for you," Ulquiorra said.

"And?" Orihime said.

"Unless a konso is performed on you, you will turn into a hollow. I am actually surprised you have lasted this long. You died nearly a month ago," he said.

"Thank you for reminding me," Orihime said with a roll of her eyes. "And how did you know that, hm? Keeping tabs on me, are you?" Ulquiorra did not answer. Orihime sighed. "Why are you here, Ulquiorra? You aren't my guardian anymore."

"I am very well aware of that. However, I..." Ulquiorra stopped when he noticed an approaching reiatsu. He turned his head to see Rukia.

"Orihime, there you are!" Rukia ran up to the two. She stopped and looked at Ulquiorra for a moment and then back at Orihime. "Did I interrupt something?" she asked. Orihime shook her head, tearing her eyes away from Ulquiorra.

"No, you didn't. You finally caught me, Rukia," Orihime said dryly.

"Funny, Orihime. You've been playing a dangerous game being out here alone. Why'd you run from Ichigo?" Rukia asked. Orihime shrugged lethargically. Rukia shook her head and unsheathed _Sode no Shirayuki_. "Whatever the reason, you won't remember it in a few minutes. Anything you want to say, Ulquiorra?" she asked the Arrancar.

Ulquiorra stepped forward. Orihime watched him sadly. She was aware that she would lose her memories once the konso was performed. She would forget all about the Espada and the war. Most of all, she would forget about _**HIM**_. She did not want to forget about Ulquiorra. Her eyes were drawn to his right hand as he pulled it out of his pocket.

"For you," he said. He handed her a bracelet. It was _**THE**_ bracelet. 10 years ago it served as a way to sneak her out of the world of the living. What was its purpose now? "Do not take it off," he said quietly. Orihime nodded as she slipped it on her right wrist. He backed away from her.

Rukia approached again. Orihime watched her. A somnolent smile was on her face. Rukia sighed and raised _Sode no Shirayuki_.

"Well, this is it, Orihime. I hope I'll see you on the other side," she said. She touched the redhead's forehead.

"I don't doubt you will," Orihime whispered as she began to disappear.

Once she was gone, Rukia sheathed her zanpakuto and faced Ulquiorra. She frowned and crossed her arms when she noticed the Arrancar leaving.

"You could've at least given her a hug, you know!" she yelled after him. Ulquiorra turned and looked at her, his eyes promising all kinds of death. By now, Rukia was immune to his glares.

After the war, Ulquiorra had developed a habit of "watching over" Orihime. Only Rukia seemed to catch him in the act of doing so. She had promised never to tell Orihime about the little "favors" Ulquiorra did for her like sending her flowers for her birthday or gifts for holidays. Of course, Ulquiorra had to be schooled in these things and Rukia had been the one to do it over juice boxes (Rukia's record was 15:32 while Ulquiorra was 13:12).

"I do not engage in such actions. She will be fine for now. We will meet again." Ulquiorra turned and opened a _garganta_. He stepped through and never looked back.

Rukia sighed.

_What a dumbass. He's more like Ichigo than he'll care to admit_, she thought before turning to open the Senkaimon.

* * *

Orihime landed firmly on her butt. She stood up and glanced around. She was in a village of some sort. There were not a lot of people around. Some kids were staring at her as if they had seen a ghost. Orihime smiled at them and waved.

_Well, technically I was a ghost a few minutes ago_, she thought. Then she blinked. _How is it that I remember that_? She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist. A smile came to her face and she squeezed it. _Thank you, Ulquiorra_. She started to walk through the little village. She walked over to a vendor and gave him a smile.

"Um, excuse me. Could you tell me where... I am?" she asked. The vendor stared at her for a moment. "Please?"

"East Rukongai, Forty-third District. You new here or something?" he asked. Orihime nodded absentmindedly and turned back around.

_Maybe if I could somehow get to the Seireitei I could get_... Orihime's thoughts were cut short as a kid went zooming past her. She started to step forward but immediately hopped back when a man in pursuit of the kid charged past her. She watched for a moment. Then she heard a loud commotion and crash that included the sound of breaking objects. She gasped when she heard the child cry out. _Oh no_...

Orihime pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She saw the child was holding his arm while the man was scolding him. The kid was sitting in a clutter of broken glass and pottery. Orihime frowned and marched forward.

"Stop yelling at him! Can't you see he's hurt?" she yelled at the man. The man instantly silenced his tirade as she kneeled down to the boy. "Can you tell me where it hurts?" she asked.

"Do not help this child! He's a rotten little..."

"There is no need to kick a dog when he's down," Orihime said quietly. The man raised an eyebrow. She noticed the boy had a broken arm and his ankle appeared to be in bad shape. He was also covered in cuts from the pottery and glass.

_Ignoring injuries just to scold a child. What an idiot. I hope my powers still work here_...

"Hold still and do not be frightened, okay?" Orihime said to the boy. He simply nodded. "Soten Kisshun, I reject."

Sure enough, the Shun Shun Rikka came to life. Orihime smiled as the boy was enveloped in the healing shield. He watched has his body returned to normal. The crowd that had gathered was even astonished, mumbling in the background.

_I wonder how fast news travels in Soul Society_.

* * *

Rukia strolled up to her captain's office. Since the Winter War, while he was not exactly the go-to guy for guerilla warfare, Ukitake preferred to stay behind the scenes unless absolutely needed. He left most things up to his new lieutenant: Rukia Kuchiki. Yes, Byakuya had finally bent and allowed her to be seated. But now, a week after the konso of one of her dearest friends, she was being called to see her captain.

"Captain?" Rukia called as she knocked on the door.

"You can come in, Rukia," came the voice of Ukitake. Rukia did as she was told. Ukitake was sitting at his desk, smiling and looking pleasant. He looked a little too pleasant for Rukia's liking. Rukia shut the door behind her and approached slowly. If she was not so sure the man before her could slice her body to pieces in 100 different ways before she even drew her own zanpakuto, she would be reaching for it at the moment. Instead, she just smiled back weakly as he opened a jar on his desk. "Candy?"

"No, thank you. Kiyone said you wanted to see me, captain," she said as she stopped just in front of her desk. Ukitake's grin widened.

"Yep." Ukitake took a peppermint and unwrapped it. "I have a surprise for you." Ukitake pointed to something just over her shoulder. Rukia turned and looked behind her. Her jaw dropped.

"I-I-Ichigo?" she stammered. The orange-haired substitute shinigami stood behind Rukia. He approached her and smirked down at her. "But..."

"You don't look happy to see me, Rukia. I thought of all people you'd be glad to see me. Especially since I can remember everything," Ichigo said. Rukia raised an eyebrow.

"Everything?" she asked.

"Everything," Ichigo said with a nod.

"Everything," Ukitake reiterated. "It would appear that the only thing that has changed about Ichigo is the fact that he is no longer among the living. His reiatsu has remained the same as has his memories of his previous life as a human."

"What about your hollow?" Rukia asked. Ichigo scratched his head.

"Unfortunately, he hasn't gone anywhere," he replied.

Rukia sighed. She had actually been hoping that if anything _**GOOD**_ came out of Ichigo's death it would have been to get rid of the hollow that happily resided in his conscience. Although Ichigo did a fine job of suppressing it, it was still a disconcerting sight to see. She had grown accustomed to it. However, she was not so sure about the _**REST**_ of Soul Society. Yamamoto was aware of it, but the man had turned a blind eye most times when it came to Ichigo. But now that Ichigo was... dead and could be considered an official shinigami, would his hollow pose a problem?

_I hope not. I have so many fears and doubts about Ichigo coming here. Why did he come_? Rukia was brought from her thoughts by a few hard taps on her head. She stepped back, holding her head and glaring up at Ichigo.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked.

"Your eyes got all hazy. That means you were thinking too hard about something." Ichigo folded his arms. "Quit it."

"You're one to talk, Mr. Broods-A-Lot."

"What? I do not brood, Midget!"

"Sure you don't, Strawberry Jam!"

Ukitake watched the two go back and forth, throwing insults at one another childishly. He clasped his hands together. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat loudly. Both of them looked at the captain.

"Well, now that you've gotten reacquainted..." Ukitake stopped as a hell butterfly floated up to him. He held out his hand and listened to the message. Then he glanced back up at Rukia. "It would appear that we have a visitor at the East Gate. Come along."

When the trio arrived at the East Gate, they had to wait for it to be opened. Rukia was somehow prepared for the surprise on the other side. So, when Orihime's beaming face lit up even further at the sight of her friend, Rukia had nothing to do but smile back.

"Hey, Rukia!"

_**THAT**_, however, was a surprise.

"You remember me, Orihime?" Rukia asked as she stepped outside the gate. Ukitake and Ichigo followed. Orihime nodded. She looked over and saw Ichigo.

"You found Ichigo! See! I told you we'd meet on the other side," she said. Rukia nodded numbly. She looked over at her captain. Ukitake was just doing what he seemed to do best lately; smile and take it all in.

_This is just too weird_...

"Perhaps we should talk to Captain-Commander Yamamoto about what to do with them," Ukitake said as they all retreated back into the Seireitei. Rukia and Ichigo looked over at him.

"You don't think you'll let us stay?" Ichigo asked.

"I am sure he'll let you stay, Ichigo. In fact, you'll probably be forced to. Orihime is another matter. She doesn't have shinigami powers like you do," Ukitake said. Orihime stepped up next to him.

"I still have my powers, though," she said. Ukitake blinked.

"Well, then that is another matter. Although you would not be a shinigami, you could probably be useful. Otherwise, you would be seen as a Dangerous Element. Especially after the war, Yamamoto would likely consider you one." Ukitake stared up at the blue sky for a moment in silence. "Yes, he'd consider you one."

It took the elder a moment to realize that he was alone on the path. He turned and looked behind him. His lieutenant was still with her two friends. They were staring at him with wide eyes. Orihime looked afraid. Ichigo looked confused. Rukia appeared... saddened.

"A Dangerous Element? They'd consider _**ORIHIME**_ a Dangerous Element? She'd get sent to the Maggot's Nest!" Rukia said loudly.

"What's the Maggot's Nest?" Orihime asked.

"A kind of prison for people who didn't actually do anything but they're there because they're considered a danger to Soul Society," Ukitake answered. "Rukia, the captain-commander would never send her there without just cause. Let's go."

Rukia nodded and started following him again. Orihime did not move. She was suddenly wishing that she stayed in the little village back in the East Rukongai. She blinked when she noticed the sunlight being obscured. She looked up and saw Ichigo standing in front of her.

"You okay, Orihime?" he asked. Orihime smiled at him.

"Fine."

"Then come on. Everything'll work out," he said. She nodded and followed him off.

_I sure hope so_. She blinked. _Wasn't I supposed to tell him something_?

* * *

Ulquiorra walked down the halls of Las Noches soundlessly. He came upon Halibel's quarters and knocked on the door. He heard a mumbled answer and opened the door. She was not anywhere in his immediate sight. His eyes searched the room. He walked towards her terrace. That was where he found her, watching Nel and Grimmjow spar with one another off in the distance.

"You have been gone an awfully long time, Ulquiorra. I'm surprised your trip this time did not alert the shinigami," Halibel said tersely. Ulquiorra squeezed his hands in his pockets. "You were watching over that human woman... _**AGAIN**_. She isn't your ward."

"I realize that. But now," Ulquiorra stepped up next to Halibel, "she is dead," he concluded.

Halibel had not been expecting that. She blinked a few times and turned her gaze to Ulquiorra. He still looked as impassive and utterly unreadable as he usually did. She cleared her throat and glanced back out at the sparring match between Grimmjow and Nel.

"What have you called me here for?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Have you heard of a hollow named Sangre Negra?" Halibel asked. Ulquiorra looked at her. "It is the name of the hollow that attacked Grimmjow and me."

"I... don't know," Ulquiorra replied.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Just that. I mean I have no idea if I know a hollow by that name. The name seems familiar. However, my memories before becoming an Arrancar are muddled. I remember very little and what I do remember is fragmented. Perhaps if I were to see this hollow you speak of, I would regain some sort of recollection," he said.

Halibel nodded in understanding. Since Ulquiorra had been gone, she had been feeling the gathering of the Vasto Lorde deep within the Menos Forest. By her command, no Arrancar had ventured into the forest since her last visit with Grimmjow. She wanted to see what this new hollow would do first.

"For the time being, stay away from the Menos Forest," she said. Ulquiorra appeared confused. "This hollow doesn't like us very much because of our connection to the shinigami. I am not completely sure what her angle is, but she does not wish us well. She also appears to have a connection with the Vasto Lorde."

Ulquiorra nodded and then left. He could not help but find this situation sort of ironic. At first, they worked for a rogue shinigami and all of Soul Society wanted them dead. Since those days, the truce, shaky though it may be, still held. Now, a hollow thought they were trash simply for that. That and the fact that they wielded powers like that of shinigami. Neither side seemed to accept them.

_It would appear that being an Arrancar makes you an outcast, no matter how much power you have_, Ulquiorra mused. _Still, I would like to meet one who commands Vasto Lorde_...


	4. Chapter 3: Way of the Lily

**Extinction**

**Chapter 3: Way of the Lily**

**

* * *

**

Kira poked his head in the office of the 9th Division. Hisagi was sitting at his desk, working diligently on paperwork. Kira moved over to his friend and looked over his shoulder. When he saw that Hisagi was merely going over some entries for the _Seireitei Communication_ he sighed and sat across from him.

"So, how is your new captain working out?" Kira asked after a few moments of silence. Hisagi put his pen down and glanced up at him.

"She's short, tough, and appears angry all the time. She's sort of like a female Hitsugaya. The rest of the division either hates her, likes her, or they're terrified of her," he said. Kira nodded.

"In other words, you like her?" Kira asked. Hisagi shot him a look. Kira smirked and leaned back in the chair he sat in. "A female Hitsugaya, eh? He's the same height as us now. We can't exactly call him short anymore. But why would they be afraid of her? She's only been captain for a month," Kira said.

Hisagi was about to answer when the lady in question made her appearance. She slid the shoji doors open to the office and stood there for a moment. She took in the sight of Hisagi and Kira. Then she stalked over to her desk without so much as a word to either man. Kira took note of her height.

_Hisagi wasn't kidding about her being small_, he thought. The huge ball at the top of her head actually gave her about two inches. The ball had what looked like a lily and a closed fan sticking out of it. _Very small. How much hair is in that bun_? he asked himself as she looked up at Hisagi, holding a piece of paper.

"Hisagi, it would appear that I have come at the right time," she said. Hisagi turned and looked at her.

"What do you mean ca... Yuri?" he asked. He watched her approach him. She held out the piece of paper. Hisagi read over it. He saw that it was time to welcome the new recruits. Seeing how Yuri was something of a new recruit herself, this should prove to be interesting. He barely noticed her come around to sit on his desk, between himself and Kira. Her bell sleeves prevented him from doing anymore work.

"Tell me, Hisagi. Why is it that not a lot of women come to this division? Are they scared or something?" she asked, leaning back on her hands. She looked over at Kira. "Perhaps you could tell me, Lieutenant Kira."

"Well, I don't really know, ca..."

"Yuri, Kira."

"I don't really know, Yuri. The last female I can think of that was in this division was over two hundred years ago. She was turned into a Vizard and was sort of exiled. She was the lieutenant, at least."

"In other words, it's been a long time." Yuri stretched her arms. "Well, I guess I should go meet my new recruits, huh? Coming, Hisagi?" She stood up and walked off. Hisagi looked at Kira, who just shrugged. Hisagi stood up and followed after his smaller captain.

* * *

On the 9th Division's training grounds, there were at least fifty new recruits shuffling around, talking with one another. Standing at the front of the yard were three men. They obviously held some rank. Yuri looked over at Hisagi for some explanation. He stared at her for a moment and then realized what she was waiting for.

"Oh! They are your top seats. The short one is Third Seat Akira Mitsurugi. The tall one is Fourth Seat Daisuke Kobayashi. The fat one is Fifth Seat Yasu Tsukada." Hisagi noticed the look Yuri was giving him. "They've been out on assignment for the past two months. I guess they just returned."

"Well, then this should be fun." Yuri pushed her way past Hisagi. Hisagi sighed.

_Cute as she may be, she really is quite the thrill-seeker_, he thought. He watched as she approached her subordinates.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Yuri said. The three men turned and looked at her.

At first, they appeared confused to see that a woman was even among them. Then they seemed pleased. Then they seemed confused again when they noticed her outfit. Yuri was not exactly dressed like a normal shinigami. Her small shoulders were bare and she had separate bell sleeves on that were white.

"Um... who are you?" the one known as Daisuke Kobayashi asked. Yuri smirked at him. He had to be at least a foot and a half taller than her.

" I'm Shirayuri Awai, the Ninth Division Captain. I go by Yuri. The lieutenant has just informed me that you are the top-seated officers," she said.

"_**YOU'RE**_ our new captain?" Akira looked back at Hisagi, who just nodded. "You can't be serious. I'm taller than she is." He ate his words as Yuri elbowed him in the gut. Then she pulled him down to her level.

"Just for that, you get to _**HELP **_me," she whispered in his ear. She dragged him to the yard by his kimono. The others watched them go before looking at Hisagi.

"What's she going to do?" Yasu asked. Hisagi shrugged.

"No idea."

Yuri stood in front of the new recruits. It took them a moment to realize that their new captain was standing in front of them. Instead of talking, Yuri had just released some of her reiatsu to get their attention. In the past month, she had learned that it worked better than trying to shout over them. They all looked towards her. A smile crossed her face.

_Works every time_, she thought.

"Good afternoon. I'm Yuri Awai, the captain of the Ninth Division. I'm getting really tired of introducing myself, so that's the last time. Your first lesson as new recruits of this division is that you refrain from calling me captain unless absolutely necessary. I will listen to anything you have to say. Do not be afraid to approach me with comments or complaints. No subject is taboo, except two," Yuri said. Someone raised their hands. She acknowledged them.

"What two?"

"Glad you asked." Yuri jerked Akira forward roughly. He was taller than her, so he was standing at an awkward angle as she held him tightly by his shihakusho. "This is Third Seat Akira Mitsurugi. He thought my height was relevant. Do you think it's relevant?" A chorus of heads shook. "Neither do I. The second subject is my gender. Yes, I am the only female in this division as you may have noticed. One sparring session with me, _**WITHOUT**_ your zanpakuto, is the punishment for suggesting my height or gender as a negative."

"That's all?" Daisuke asked from behind her. Yuri turned her head. Hisagi leaned over to him.

"She was in the Onmitsukido before this; the head of the Detention Unit. She's a student of Soi Fon's. I don't think a hand-to-hand sparring session with her is something you _**WANT**_," Hisagi said. Daisuke nodded, catching the subtle hint.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, the real lesson is disarming your opponent with limited means. Everyone grab a partner," Yuri said. "Once you have a partner, one of you relieve yourselves of your zanpakuto and find something to disarm your opponent with. Something that isn't a weapon." She released Akira and took the fan out of her head.

Yuri watched as the recruits tried with various objects to disarm the armed opponents. It was not going well as she fanned herself. She noticed Hisagi walk up beside her.

"They're pathetic," she mumbled. "This really isn't that hard. Arm yourself, Hisagi." Yuri faced him. Hisagi blinked. She was not holding her zanpakuto or anything to disarm herself with from what he could see.

"Yuri, I am not fighting you; especially if you're not armed," he said. Yuri glared at him.

"Awww... That's really _**NOBLE**_ and all, Hisagi. However, as your captain, I'm ordering you to arm yourself. Hey!" Yuri yelled out at the recruits. They all stopped and watched the captain and lieutenant. "This is how it's done." Yuri snapped the fan shut. "Don't worry, Hisagi. I promise that you won't hurt me."

Hisagi pulled out _Kazeshini_ and looked at Yuri. He moved towards her. She held her head down. As he swung, she simply dodged. He continued coming at her and all she did was duck and dodge. She was not making any attempt to disarm him at all. Growing the slightest bit frustrated, Hisagi pulled back a bit. Then he thrust at her.

Yuri smirked and opened her fan in front of her. She moved to the side as _Kazeshini_ pierced the fan. She closed the fan around the zanpakuto and twisted it out of Hisagi's grasp. The zanpakuto went flying into the air. Hisagi watched in surprise as Yuri caught it and pointed it at him.

"I told you that you wouldn't hurt me. However, you have sliced my poor fan into pieces." Yuri took _Kazeshini _off her fan. "You owe me a new one." She tossed the zanpakuto back at Hisagi carelessly before winking at him and walking off to examine the rest of the recruits.

* * *

Momo stood outside of her new captain's quarters. It was well past noon and he had still not shown up for work. During the past month, she had learned two things about Ren Awai: he didn't know the meaning of the word punctual and he was the male equivalent of Rangiku. She took a deep breath and held her head high. Then she proceeded to knock loudly on the door. After a few moments, she came face to face with her captain, half-naked and with his hair down. He looked extremely hung-over.

"Good... afternoon, Momo. What brings you here?" Ren asked. Momo took her eyes off his chest and met his droopy hazel eyes.

"Um, Captain Awai, you are extremely late for work. I told you today was important. Are you ill, sir?" Momo asked.

"No, no. I'm perfectly fine. I overslept is all. I'll be right in," Ren said, giving her a small smile. Momo nodded and turned to walk off. Ren Awai was definitely different from her previous captains.

_I just hope he doesn't make a fool of himself_, she thought.

An hour later, Momo was facing the recruits... alone. She sighed, wondering where her captain was. Instead of complaining, she just smiled out at the new recruits.

"Well, since the captain is _**STILL**_ absent, I'll just get started with introducing you to the senior officers. I'm Lieutenant Momo Hinamori. This is Fourth Seat Kazuo Tochika. The tall girl is Fifth Seat Tomoko Ogata," Momo said, pointing to each of the officers.

Kazuo Tochika was a tall, lanky man. He seemed to make everyone around him feel exceptionally small. He also used his zanpakuto for the weirdest things; like cleaning food out of teeth. Tomoko Ogata was a meek girl with short black hair. She was about Momo's height.

"Hinamori, where's the captain?" Kazuo asked. Momo looked at the 4th Seat.

"If I knew..."

"I'm right here." Ren was suddenly standing between Momo and Tomoko. Momo nearly jumped a foot in the air. Tomoko could only stare at the man. "Sorry about my tardiness. I had to look my best to meet my new recruits," Ren said.

"This is the captain, Ren Awai," Momo said.

Ren stepped forward and looked over all the recruits. They shifted uncomfortably under the captain's narrow gaze. Ren did not have the same commanding presence that his shorter twin did, but his eyes did have a mesmerizing quality to them. He stared them all down intensely. Then he smiled, putting his hands behind his back.

"Welcome to the Fifth Division. First thing's first. I know that the Fifth isn't exactly known for their proficiency in swordsmanship. We kick ass with kido, instead. Still, I know that not _**EVERYONE**_ in the division is good at kido. So, if you rate yourself as being better with kido than with zanjutsu, go with Momo and Kazuo. If you are better with zanjutsu than with kido, go with Tomoko. If you rate yourself as being decent with both, come with me," Ren said. For a moment, no one moved. Ren looked around. "Well, move it!" The group of youngsters was spurred into action. Momo walked up to Ren.

"Um, sir..."

"Momo, you can call me Ren, you know," Ren said, looking down at her. Momo nodded.

"Well, Ren, what are we supposed to do with them?" she asked.

"Hone their skills. You're a kido master, right? Try to make them as good as you." Ren winked at her before disappearing. Momo turned and looked at her rather large group of recruits.

_Here goes nothing_, she thought.

* * *

Three weeks later, Toshiro Hitsugaya stormed down the walkway towards the 9th Division. He was angry. It showed in every step he took. It showed every time he passed someone. It even showed in the clouds. He was in search of his delinquent lieutenant and he had a feeling he knew where she was. But something dawned on him as he entered the 9th Division's premises.

_I've never actually been over here since the new captain took over. I have no idea what the captain looks like_, he thought. He knew it would not be too hard to find out. After all, she was the only female among a division full of men. How hard could she be to find? It was actually quite strange that he had not met Yuri Awai before. He knew her twin brother quite well. However, Yuri obviously was the brains in the family and had graduated from the Shinou Academy ahead of Ren.

"Captain Hitsugaya!" someone called from behind Toshiro. He turned his head and saw the 3rd Seat, Akira Mitsurugi, walking up to him. "What brings you here, sir?" he asked.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Matsumoto. Have you seen her?" Toshiro asked. Akira snorted a bit a pointed towards what Toshiro assumed were the captain's quarters. "Thank you, Mitsurugi." He started walking towards the building.

* * *

Rangiku sat on one of Yuri's pillows, waiting for the small captain to appear. She had given Yuri a little gift.

"Yuri, you didn't get lost back there, did you?" Rangiku yelled. "Or is it just so much cloth that you can't find your way out of it?"

"Funny, Rangiku. Real charming." Yuri came out of her bedroom. "Well?" she asked, holding her arms up. Rangiku clasped her hands together. Yuri was wearing a white shrug over her strapless top. The sleeves were long and flared out. On the back was the symbol for the 9th Division.

"You are just too cute!" Rangiku exclaimed. Yuri rolled her eyes.

"I look like I could take to the skies and fly away in this thing. The sleeves are too long," she said while flapping her arms up and down.

"Yuri, your bell sleeves are that long. I think you just like showing off those little shoulders of yours," Rangiku said. She stood and walked over to Yuri. She was almost a full foot taller than the tiny captain and teased her about it daily. "But, I think you are still just too cute!"

"I'm not exactly going for cute here, Rangiku. I'm already treated like a doll by my guys," Yuri moaned as a knock came at her door. She took off her new shrug as Rangiku took a seat. "I'll be right back. Don't touch anything that looks breakable," she said. Rangiku smiled and waved her hand in the air.

Toshiro tapped his foot impatiently. He turned and noticed the garden across from the captain's door. There were all types of lilies: martagon, Bolander's lilies, tiger lilies, Humboldt's lilies, Kellogg's lilies, redwood lilies, etc. What caught Toshiro's eye were the large white lilies. They were huge and fragrant. He was about to go examine them when he heard the door open behind him. He whirled around to face the shorter girl in a black tube top and black hakama.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes." Toshiro took note of the white lily in her hair. It was just like the one in the garden. It was pinned in the gigantic bun that sat on top of her head. "I'm looking for my..."

"_**CAPTAIN**_!!!" Rangiku yelled. She came flying up to the door to meet him. "Have you met Shirayuri? Of course you haven't because you've been on assignment all this time."

"Rangiku..." Toshiro began.

"Yuri, this is Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, my captain. Captain, this is Shirayuri Awai, the new captain of the Ninth." Then Rangiku seemed to notice something. "Shira and Shiro! How cute is that?" she exclaimed. Toshiro noticed the smaller girl pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Nice observation, Rangiku," Yuri said.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, when I left there was paperwork to be done. When I returned, the same pile of paperwork _**PLUS**_ more awaits. Care to explain?" Toshiro asked. Rangiku shrugged.

"I got a little sidetracked with the two new captains and all. They're both so nice and friendly. Yuri is too adorable and Ren is just..."

"Rangiku..." Toshiro growled. Rangiku smiled and waved at Yuri.

"I'm going to do my job. See you later, Captain Lily!" she yelled as she took off. Yuri watched her go. Then she looked back at Toshiro.

"I'm sorry about her," he said. Yuri waved her hand.

"It's nothing. I've known Rangiku for a while." Yuri left it up to interpretation; never stating from _**WHERE**_ she knew Rangiku. Instead, she just watched as a hell butterfly floated between them. She held out her hand to receive the message. "It would appear that Yamamoto requests my presence. It was nice meeting you, Captain Hitsugaya."

"Likewise, Captain Awai." Toshiro watched her flash her eyes at him before she retreated back into her quarters. He stood there for a moment more before turning and walking away.

* * *

An hour later, Yuri found herself trekking through a forest in the 51st District of the West Rukongai. Hisagi, Akira, Daisuke, and Yasu were with her. Yamamoto had requested that Yuri investigate hollow attacks that were happening in the forests of the West Rukongai. She walked in the center of her troupe as Hisagi and Akira headed the front while Yasu and Daisuke were behind her.

"So what are we looking for, captain?" Daisuke asked. He looked around in the fading light of the day. Yuri rubbed her temples. It was the fifth time Daisuke had asked that question.

"Yamamoto said something about there being odd hollow attacks out here; perhaps class three and above. We're here to remedy that problem and go home. Any other questions, Kobayashi?" she asked, turning her head to the side and peering at him in her peripheral vision. Daisuke looked at her, noticing the underlying tone of annoyance in her voice. He fervently shook his head. "Good. Now keep walking and shut up."

Hisagi smirked and looked ahead of him. Yes, his tiny captain was amusing. Although, there was something about this entire scenario they were in that was strangely familiar. He understood that it was the 9th Division's job to conduct investigations around Soul Society. But he felt as if this had happened before. Hisagi was drawn from his thoughts when he heard Yuri speak.

"Listen up, ladies. Let's camp here tonight. I'm tired, cranky, and my feet hurt," Yuri said. The other three agreed. Yuri looked at Hisagi. "Lieutenant?"

"Sure," Hisagi said. "Tsukada, you have first watch."

Yuri stood off to the side as the guys tried to set up the tent. As usual, they refused to let her do any of the work. She was really tired of them treating her like a doll. She appreciated their protectiveness and all, but it wore on her nerves. She was captain; she could take care of herself. Yuri noticed the men fighting over the correct way to position one of the poles. She sighed and decided to go for a walk.

_Maybe I'll find these mysterious hollows, kill them, and be done with this fucking mission_, she thought dryly.

Hisagi looked up. He noticed that Yuri was gone. She was gone and she had not said anything about leaving. She was definitely not known for wandering off alone. But, she was very good at not being found if she did not want to be found. She concealed her reiatsu very well. Sometimes he hated that fact. Sighing, he glanced back at the other three. They were arguing loudly.

"Hey!" Hisagi yelled. The other three stopped fussing and looked at their superior. "I'm going to find the captain. Stay out of trouble." Hisagi took off, leaving the other three to their own devices.

Hisagi had been flashing through the trees for only five minutes before something kicked him into a tree to his left. He hit it and fell some thirty feet to the forest floor. He looked up and saw his captain standing in a tree, glaring down at him. He rubbed his side and stood up.

"Yuri..." he mumbled. Yuri disappeared from her spot on the branch and planted her fist in Hisagi's stomach. Hisagi stumbled back as Yuri stood up straight. "What the hell was that for?" Hisagi demanded to know.

"Why were you following me, Hisagi?" Yuri asked.

"Oh, uh, you just wandered off. I came to..."

"I'm the _**CAPTAIN**_! I obviously got this post because I have the ability to take care of myself plus some. I don't need you all to babysit me." Yuri turned away from him. "I can't believe you didn't sense me coming. I wasn't masking my reiatsu that much."

Hisagi said nothing. Instead, he just watched as Yuri walked off. He had never noticed it before, but she carried what looked like two ninjato. One was tied to her sash on her left hip while the other was on her back over her right shoulder. As far as he knew, only one other captain carried two swords: Shunsui Kyoraku. Ukitake's zanpakuto split into two when it was released.

_Her zanpakuto exists as two_? Hisagi was brought from his musings when Yuri turned and glared murder at him.

"Is there a reason you're still behind me?" she asked. Hisagi shook his head and ran to catch up with her.

* * *

Ren yawned sleepily. He had his head on top of his paperwork. Momo walked in his office and looked down at him. She shook her head in dismay. She walked over to his desk and cleared her throat loudly. Ren sat up quickly and looked around. He glanced up at Momo and smiled, batting his hazel eyes at her.

"Hello, Momo. What brings you here?" he asked.

"I work here, captain." Momo moved to her desk. "Are there any standouts in the recruits?" she asked. Ren sighed.

"Not really. Everyone seems pretty ordinary so far." Ren sighed. "Momo, why do we not have a Third Seat?" he asked. Momo blinked and looked over at him.

"Well, our former Third Seat was with Captain Suzemusha when the accident with the Senkaimon happened. They were both killed. Perhaps one of the recruits would be a suitable replacement," she said.

"Why not just promote Tomoko or Tochika?" Ren asked.

"Neither are ready for that position, captain. There is a class coming up through the Shinou Academy soon. Perhaps you should go see who is at the top of their class and judge fro..."

Momo and Ren looked up as Rukia walked in, dragging someone with her. Momo's eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Ren asked, looking at the person Rukia was hanging on to.

"I think I found you a Third Seat, Captain Awai." Rukia pushed the busty redhead forward. "Meet Orihime Inoue. She helped during the war and is recently deceased," she said a little happier than she should have. Orihime smiled shyly at Ren and Momo. She waved at the both of them. Ren stood up and walked towards her. He examined her for a moment before looking at Rukia.

"Recently deceased, you say? Shouldn't she have gone through the academy first?"

"She retained her memories and her powers," Rukia replied.

"Powers?" Ren looked back at Orihime. Orihime simply smiled.

"My Shun Shun Rikka. They are unique unto me," she said.

"Well, you all get acquainted. I have another one to drop off at the Third Division. You know Renji needed a Third Seat as well. See you, Orihime."

"Bye, Rukia." Orihime watched as Rukia left. Then she turned and looked at Ren and Momo. Momo smiled at her.

"Welcome to the Fifth Division, Orihime." Momo walked over to her. "Out of curiosity, who is Rukia taking over to the Third Division?"

"Oh, just Ichigo," Orihime said with a smile.

* * *

Renji laughed and pointed at Ichigo. Ichigo squeezed his fists together, glaring bloody murder at Renji. Kira looked down at Rukia. He stepped over to her.

"What's going on, Rukia?" he asked.

"Ichigo met with an unfortunate accident in the world of the living," Rukia sighed out. Kira nodded.

"Unfortunate? It's a rather _**ANTICLIMACTIC**_ way for the great substitute shinigami of legend to die, don't you think?" Renji got closer to Ichigo's side. "You drowned? You forgot how to swim?" he asked. Ichigo punched him in the arm.

"Shut up, asshole!" Ichigo yelled. Renji held his hands up. "You should be more sensitive. Orihime died, too. I was giving her a ride when that truck ran us off the road."

"Wait a minute. How is it that you remember everything?" Kira asked. Ichigo shrugged.

"I don't know. Orihime remembers, too." Ichigo looked Renji up and down. "I can't believe they made you a captain..."

"Hey, I'm your boss now." Renji poked Ichigo in the shoulder. "So you have to do what I tell you."

"Is that so?" Ichigo said. Renji nodded. Ichigo faced Rukia. "Is he the only position there was?" he asked. Rukia sighed.

"It's Renji's Third Seat or you can be the Sixth Division's new lieutenant. Yamamoto did give that option," Rukia coughed, "without the captain's knowledge," she added. Ichigo stared at Rukia for a moment. Then he looked back at Renji. Rukia looked between the two. "Ichigo..."

* * *

Yuri walked out of the tent. The moon was high in the sky. She closed the tent, mumbling something about snoring men. She looked around the clearing. She spotted the man she was looking for and moved swiftly towards him. She sat against his back. Hisagi jumped a bit and turned.

"I didn't scare you, did I, lieutenant?" Yuri asked with a smirk on her face.

"Uh, no, captain." Hisagi cleared his throat. "You can't go around sneaking up on me like that."

"Whatever. It's pathetic that I'm able to do it. Your senses should be better. I'm not trying to hide from you." Yuri sighed as she relaxed against his back. "They sound like some animals in there. I had to get away. Where are we again, Hisagi?"

"I believe we're in the West Rukongai, District Fifty-One," Hisagi answered.

Yuri nodded and looked up. She squinted up at the sky. Hisagi fell back into the grass as Yuri was suddenly gone from his back. He turned around and noticed that she was in a tree a few feet away from him. He stood immediately and walked over to the tree.

"Yuri?"

"Well there's something you don't see every day..." she murmured.

"What's so fascinating?" Hisagi asked. Then he heard it; it was loud and it made his stomach turn. He immediately glanced up at the sky. "Oh no..."

"Oh yes." Yuri jumped out of the tree, landing in front of Hisagi. "_Garganta_; several _garganta_. We aren't dealing with just one naughty hollow. I need to alert the Seireitei." Yuri headed over to the tent. Hisagi followed her.

Yuri kicked her subordinates awake as she gathered her two ninjato up and strapped them on. Akira, Daisuke, and Yasu all looked around, clearly still in a daze. Hisagi motioned for them to rise and gather their things. Yuri walked outside. The other four watched as she threw two small objects out to her right. She extended her right arm and the objects drew on her arm.

"Bakudo No. Seventy-seven: _Tenteikura_."


	5. Chapter 4: Carved Up

**Extinction**

**Chapter 4: Carved Up**

**

* * *

**

Sangre watched from her perch safely in a _garganta_ high above Soul Society. Someone stepped up beside her on her left. She let out a long sigh as she watched the different hollows start to ravage the land.

"What would you have me do, Sangre?" the hollow next to her asked. She looked up at him.

"Find me a toy," she said with a smile. "A durable one."

The hollow nodded and disappeared from her side. Truenos walked up beside Sangre as the _garganta_ closed. She looked up at him.

"Why'd you send him? He isn't exactly the cream of the crop out of all of us," he said. Sangre nodded. "So why did you send him if you actually wanted something?" he asked again. Sangre turned away from.

"I don't really, really want something, Truenos. If he comes back, then he would've proved to be useful. I don't have time for weaklings. He is by far the weakest among us. If he survives this test, then he proves his worth. If not, then he was worthless." She faced him again.

Truenos blinked. She had replaced her mask. That could only mean one thing.

* * *

The Seireitei was shutting down. There were a few shinigami on patrol in their respective divisions. Other than that, there was no one else out and about. After all, it was the middle of the night. There was only one person in the Seireitei who was still up and doing actual work:

Toshiro Hitsugaya.

_I can't believe Rangiku did absolutely __**NO**__ paperwork while I was gone. This is ridiculous. I should have her demoted for this_, he thought dismally as he tried to catch his division up. He sighed and sat back in his seat. Then he felt it. A strange pressure weighed down on his chest and he looked around. _That couldn't be_... Toshiro got up and walked outside his office.

Nothing was happening in the Seireitei, of course. However, he could not help the feeling that something was awfully wrong. Then he heard her voice. In fact, every captain and lieutenant was awakened to the sound of Captain Yuri Awai's raspy voice in their minds.

"_Attention, captains and lieutenants. This is Captain Shirayuri Awai of the Ninth Division speaking. There have been several _garganta _opened that have released hollows into the Rukongai at several different locations. The number of _garganta_ has not been determined. Be advised: some of these are class three and above_." Yuri ended the message.

It was not long after that message when Rangiku fumbled out of her quarters to see her captain staring off towards the wall of the Seireitei. She walked over to him. Toshiro said nothing for the longest moment until a hell butterfly floated between them. Rangiku held her hand out, taking in the message. She looked back at Toshiro.

"Meeting for all captains and lieutenants, captain," she said.

"Let's go."

* * *

It took ten minutes for the captains and their lieutenants to arrive. Then they all had to wait for Yamamoto. Momo shoved Ren, who was falling asleep as he stood.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned for your sister, sir?" Momo whispered. Ren blinked sleepily at her and smiled. Then he shook his head. "Why not?" Before he could answer, Yamamoto appeared. Everyone was silenced as the captain-commander walked in.

"Good evening. I will get straight to the point, as time is of the essence. Captain Awai of the Ninth is currently in the West Rukongai with a team. Precision and decisiveness is essential in a situation like this," the old captain said.

"What will you have us do, captain-commander?" Komamura asked.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, the full report," Yamamoto said, looking at the 12th Division's captain.

"Right. Well, there have been at least twenty _garganta_ opened and over a hundred hollows have come through. They are in all four districts of the Rukongai. I found Captain Awai and her crew located in the Fifty-first District of the West Rukongai. Several hollows are headed their way..."

As Kurotsuchi continued to go into the details, Ren allowed his attention to drift elsewhere. He started to concentrate on Yuri's reiatsu fluctuations while she was in the field. Her reiatsu had not risen too high, so it did not feel like she had released her zanpakuto yet. Ren jumped when he felt someone elbow him in the side. He looked down and saw Momo staring at him.

"What is it?" Ren whispered.

"You're really not concerned for her?" Momo asked. Ren smiled and shook his head. "Why not?"

"When Yuri releases, then I'll be concerned. Until then, I have no reason to be concerned. Besides, she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself." Ren looked away from Momo's concerned eyes. He was positive his sister was fine.

_Still, it feels as though these hollows have an agenda. I might be saying this prematurely, but is Lily on that agenda_? Ren thought more seriously as Yamamoto began giving out assignments.

"Captain Hitsugaya, you and your division will head out immediately to assist Ninth Division Captain Awai. Everyone else, defend Soul Society. Move!" Yamamoto said, tapping his staff on the floor loudly. The captain and lieutenants all nodded and left immediately.

* * *

Hisagi sliced through a hollow's mask. He kept moving, trying to stay with his speedy captain. The pace in which she had set was inhuman. She made her annihilation of the hollows look like surgery. She was quick and methodical. She never used more movement than what was required to get the job done. Hisagi blinked when he noticed that she was standing next to him.

"You haven't released your zanpakuto, Hisagi," Yuri observed. Hisagi nodded. "Why not? The others have."

"I don't if I can help it. I don't care for my shikai that much," he replied stoically. He expected some sort of sharp retort about his intelligence to come from her. Instead, all he got was a soft hum in understanding.

"I know exactly what you mean," she said. Yuri immediately cut her eyes to the left. She turned her head and pointed her right index finger into the trees. "Hado No. Four: _Byakurai_." The concentrated lightning bolt shot through the trees. A hollow fell from the branches with a hole through its head. Hisagi watched in awe.

_That kido had far more on it usual_, he thought. He watched Yuri stare off into the darkness for a moment. There were deadly reiatsu signatures heading their way. Her husky voice made him jump when she spoke.

"Hisagi."

"Yes, Yuri?"

"Stronger hollows are coming." Yuri turned and looked at him. "I will lead them further away from this village. You stay and keep defending until help arrives."

"But..."

"Hisagi, we've discussed this." She turned around to leave. "I'll be fine." Yuri disappeared, leaving Hisagi alone.

* * *

Toshiro walked outside of the West Gate of the Seireitei. The rest of his division plus Rangiku was waiting there for him. Rangiku waved and ran up to him.

"Ready, captain?" she asked. Toshiro nodded. "So, do we do this the old fashioned way or do I need to cheat?" She winked at him.

"Do as you wish, lieutenant," Toshiro said. Rangiku smiled. She knelt down and began drawing a circle in the dust.

"_Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain_. Bakudo No. Fifty-Eight: _Kakushitsuijaku_!" Rangiku yelled. After a moment, Rangiku looked at Toshiro and nodded.

"Let's go," he said.

* * *

Hisagi dropped one of the scythes of _Kazeshini_. He had actually been forced to release his shikai amidst all of the turmoil. Now his arm was a bloody mess and useless. He could barely feel it. It could be just his imagination, but it appeared that the hollows were becoming more numerous.

_Where is this help we're supposed to be getting_? he thought dismally. Hisagi raised his left arm and feebly blocked a strike from an oncoming hollow. It only delayed a more powerful strike that sent him flying into a tree. He recovered to see the hollow approaching him with murderous intent. _Better think of something quick_...

Before anything else happened, the hollow's mask shattered. Hisagi blinked as he watched it disintegrate into dust. He looked up at who had rescued him. It was Toshiro. He turned his head and saw Rangiku kneeling down next to him.

"Are you okay, Shuuhei?" she asked. Hisagi nodded. Toshiro turned his head.

"Where has Captain Awai gone?" he asked.

"She was being targeted by the hollows. She drove them deeper into the forest. Captain," Hisagi got to his feet, "please help her," he said. Toshiro nodded. He gave Rangiku a look before flashing away in pursuit of Yuri's reiatsu.

_Why would they target Captain Awai_? Toshiro thought as he jumped through the trees.

* * *

Yuri dodged a _cero_ from a Gillian. She rebounded off of a tree and headed directly for the large hollow. With her right hand, she drew the ninjato from her left hip and slashed the Gillian several times as she passed it. Then she landed on another tree. The Gillian disintegrated. Yuri turned and saw another. She sheathed her ninjato.

"Hado No. Seventy-Three: _Soren Sokatsui_," she said. Two blue blasts destroyed the large hollow. Yuri was only allowed a moment to rest before dodging a blow that would have taken her left arm off.

_That was close_, Yuri thought. She drew her ninjato again. She could not see her foes in the darkness, but she could feel their presence. She closed her eyes. Something strong was following her.

"Hado No. Eleven," Yuri appeared behind a hollow and impaled it, "_Tsuzuri Raiden_," she concluded. The electric shock traveled through the blade, exploding the hollow from the inside out. Yuri swung the ninjato, cleaning the blade off. Then she decided to keep moving.

_There's more coming. But, they all seem to be small-fry_. Yuri felt a sudden change in the reiatsu around her. _Above a class four hollow? Not a Gillian. More powerful than a lieutenant_, she thought.

Suddenly, Yuri diverted her path completely. She rebounded off two trees before landing in a clearing in the forest floor. She beat her own white lily to the ground as it floated to her feet on pieces. Yuri stood up straight as her white hair slowly unraveled from the tight ball at the top of her head. The length of it fell down her back, reaching to the backs of her knees. A few stray tendrils blew over her left eye.

"You smell of blood, shinigami," a voice said in her ear.

Yuri's eyes widened minutely. She whirled while simultaneously swinging up with her right hand. Her assailant blocked her strike deftly. Yuri narrowed her eyes and raised her left hand.

"Hado No. Four: _Byakurai_." She blasted a hole through the hollow's shoulder. It stumbled back, releasing Yuri's ninjato. Yuri took to the air and watched it regenerate.

_So this is what's been tailing me_, she thought. _This is a Vasto Lorde_. It was muscular and it had large spikes sticking out from all over its body. There was a peculiar one in the center of its mask. Its eyes glowed yellow and it appeared to have short black hair.

"What do you want? Why are you attacking Soul Society? I thought your kind were solitary hollows," Yuri said.

"Attack? I was not sent to attack. I have not attacked anyone." The hollow turned its yellow gaze to her. "I was sent to retrieve," it said.

"Retrieve?" Yuri raised a silver eyebrow in question.

"With your abilities, you will be," the Vasto Lorde appeared in her face with the static buzz of sonido, "useful." It smacked Yuri to the ground.

Yuri blinked as she regained her countenance. She had not been ready at all. The Vasto Lorde was fast. She picked herself up out of the crater she had created and glared up at the larger hollow. It was looking down at her with what she could discern as distaste. Yuri reached for the ninjato on her back with her left hand.

"I don't release my zanpakuto very often, hollow. When I do, I always ask my opponent's name." Yuri cut her thumbs on the blades. A few drops of blood ran down to the tips, staining the ninjato. "Tell me what your name is, hollow." She glanced up at the Vasto Lorde. Her normally gray eyes were tinged red. The cuts on her thumbs began to close.

"Viento," the hollow said.

"I am Shirayuri Awai, captain of the Ninth Division of the Gotei Thirteen. You have told me your name, Viento." Yuri's eyes glowed brighter. Red reiatsu began to leak out from around her. She held both ninjato out in front of her. "So I will release for you."

* * *

Toshiro stopped as a dense reiatsu replaced Yuri's feathery reiatsu. It felt like he was wading through a thick swamp in mid-air. He swore he could even taste the reiatsu around him. It was leathery, coppery, and metallic, just like...

_Blood_, Toshiro concluded. He picked up his pace.

* * *

Ren finished cutting down a hollow of his own. He paused for a moment and glanced around him. The members of his division were still fighting the vast amount of hollows that seemed to never end. He was not sure if the others felt it, but he could.

After all, they were twins.

"She's releasing her zanpakuto," Ren said quietly. There was a reason Yuri avoided doing it and relied on kido and hakudo. It was not that her shikai was ridiculously powerful, uncontrollable, or even useless. It was far from any of those things. Yuri's zanpakuto was just so...

_Scary_, Ren thought. He gazed up at the half-moon. _Be careful, Lily_.

* * *

The blades in Yuri's hands were glowing red, smudged with her blood. She inhaled deeply and lowered her head. Some of her white hair rolled into her face, obscuring it from sight.

"Emancipate, _Sakki no Gekshoku_," she said. Her red reiatsu exploded outwards, blowing away dust and leaves. When the reiatsu settled, Yuri was no longer holding two ninjato. In their place were two giant tessen. Both were closed. Yuri raised her head to look at Viento. She opened the tessen in her right hand.

"Impressive, shinigami. Very impressive. Your reiatsu is... different from before. It is thick, like blood. My master would be impressed. Surely you cannot fight with such large weapons, though," Viento said. Yuri smirked. The Vasto Lorde gasped when he realized that Yuri was holding the tessen to his face, a mere arm's-length away from him.

"Really?" she whispered. The smirk curved into a smile and she blocked a strike to her back by opening the tessen in her left hand. Viento tried to attack her from above, but Yuri was gone. She was above him. He seemed to turn in slow motion. Blood splattered as she swung with her right arm, slicing into his side. She disappeared again and landed on a rock, closing both tessen. Viento landed a few feet away from her.

"Your speed has increased. You also seem to know what my next move is. However," Viento grabbed the oddly-shaped horn on his head and pulled, "you'll need more than that to defeat me." Viento revealed a katana of his own. It was then that Viento noticed something about himself. He looked at his side. The wound that Yuri had inflicted upon him had yet to heal. He looked back at her. Yuri's face was impassive as ever.

"That is one of my zanpakuto's abilities. If you are cut with _Sakki no Gekshoku_ while they are in their shikai, you will bleed excessively." She opened the tessen again, showing how the hollow's blood seemingly soaked into the individual blades. Viento found it curious how she referred to her zanpakuto in the plural. "_Sakki no Gekshoku_ have a lust for blood. What they want, they usually get."

"I see. I will just have to work on getting around that, then." Viento moved towards Yuri. Yuri blocked with her closed tessen. She brought the open tessen around, trying to cut Viento's neck. Viento dodged, but Yuri got him where she wanted him. She raised her right arm, opening the tessen in the process. Viento's left arm went flying off to the side, completely severed from his body.

Yuri watched as blood seemed to pour endlessly from the Vasto Lorde's wounds. Her tessen vibrated against her will, reaching out to the blood that was before her. She closed her eyes and kneeled. Viento glared at her, his eyes glowing. He growled as he regenerated his arm. Yuri smirked and stood up straight.

"That took you longer than I expected," she said.

"You are definitely more power powerful than I expected, shinigami." Viento disappeared. Yuri barely followed the attack and could only cross her tessen in front of her without opening them. "My power still eclipses yours," Viento said. Yuri's smirk did not falter.

"Why don't you just tell me what it is you want, Viento. You will save us both the trouble of a meaningless battle," she said. She threw Viento off of her. Before she could open her tessen, she felt the sting of a blade cutting through her side.

"I already told you." Viento swung his blade, sending Yuri's blood flying. The tiny captain fell to the ground. "I was sent to retrieve you."

* * *

Ren blinked. Yuri's reiatsu, which had been strong and heavy, dipped severely. Momo noticed how distracted her captain had become. He was not paying attention as a hollow attacked him.

"Hado No. Thirty-One: _Shakkaho_!" she yelled, destroying the hollow. Ren looked up suddenly as he noticed the hollow explode. He watched Momo approach him. "What's wrong? You just stopped moving," she said. Ren shook his head.

"It's nothing. Let's finish this," he said. Momo nodded.

_Get up, Yuri. Don't lose to a hollow_, Ren thought angrily.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuri lay on the forest floor. She gazed hazily up at Viento as he approached her.

_My body won't respond. Am I beaten? I can't move anymore_, she thought. She squeezed the tessen in her right hand. She could feel an approaching reiatsu. It was cold. It felt like... _Captain Hitsugaya_...

"That is a very serious wound, shinigami. You should've come quietly. Now come along," he said. He made to retrieve her. He stopped when he noticed Yuri closing the tessen in her right hand. She slowly pushed herself up and managed to get to her feet. Viento watched as she panted.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she muttered as she stared at the ground.

"You'll only injure yourself further, shinigami. Why do you want to continue a fight you know you'll lose?" Viento asked. Yuri disappeared, opening her tessen. She swung at Viento. He dodged her easily and took to the sky.

"I'm built tough. I think I'll survive." Yuri looked up as she put one of her tessen down. She held her left hand out. "Bakudo No. Sixty-Three: _Sajo Sabaku_," she mumbled. The golden chains surrounded the unsuspecting hollow.

_Gotcha_, Yuri thought triumphantly. She knew it was only a matter of time before he broke out of that binding. She thought fast. _Damn! This is gonna hurt_. She closed both tessen and held the right one out.

"_Shukketsu Odoriko_," she said while swinging diagonally. She winced in pain as she did so.

A small red blast shaped like her tessen was emitted. Although it was moving painfully slow, Viento made no move to evade it. Yuri turned her wrist, making the blast turn horizontal. Then she opened the tessen. It went straight through Viento and Yuri smirked. She fell to her knees, bleeding and practically hyperventilating.

"You should've dodged..." she whispered.

Viento felt nothing at first. Then he realized why she said what she said as his body started to slide apart from his mid-section. He coughed up blood and glared at her. He could not regenerate that much of his body at once.

"You... bitch..." he spat at her. "You are cruel for hiding such an abominable ability, shinigami."

"I don't like to play all my cards at once," Yuri said dryly. "Normally it's a pretty ineffective attack because of the speed. You had the chance to evade even if you were bound. Arrogance is not becoming," she whispered. The hollow coughed and more blood spilled through his mask.

"My master will definitely..." Viento trailed off.

Yuri watched him die impassively while holding her side. Once he was gone, she began coughing. The coppery taste of blood entered her mouth and she groaned in disgust. She glanced down at her right side. Viento had cut her very deep. She was sure some sort of important organ had been pierced and she was now bleeding internally. She could barely breathe. She looked back up at the sky. There were still hollows everywhere. _Sakki no Gekshoku_ reverted back to ninjato and she replaced them painfully.

_I wonder why I'm wanted. What's going on? What's with this attack_? she wondered. She let out a sigh. _I feel like I'm falling_...

She did not realize that she was.

* * *

Toshiro arrived at the sight where Yuri and Viento had fought. He saw hollows slowly starting to gather around, seeing if the female captain was dead. Toshiro immediately pulled _Hyorinmaru_ and sliced them to pieces, clearing the way. He went to the fallen captain.

"Damn. I'm too late," he said quietly as he examined her. She appeared all but dead. Suddenly, Yuri coughed blood up into his face. Toshiro flinched and wiped the blood away. Yuri's eyes fluttered open and she shivered a bit. She took in the sight of Toshiro.

"My savior..." she mumbled before losing consciousness again. Toshiro took note of her breathing. He looked down at her side. His eyes widened slightly.

_I've got to get her back to the Seireitei. She won't survive long like this_, he thought. He picked her up. Before he left, he threw a glance over at the dead Vasto Lorde. _I can't wait to hear the story behind this... if she survives_.

* * *

Ichigo sliced through several hollows at once. His division, the 6th Division, had taken to defending the North Gate of the Seireitei. The attacks seemed to be lessening at the moment. He swung _Zangetsu_ around to rest on his shoulder and glanced around. He then turned to look at his new reluctant captain.

"Hey, Byakuya! You think this is it?" he yelled back at him. The noble captain glared at him.

_He didn't address me properly when I wasn't his direct superior. Now that I am, he still refuses. I believe I might actually have to beat it into him_, Byakuya thought.

"It would appear as if the attack is letting up. However, do not let your guard down. We have not been recalled," he answered. Ichigo nodded. He started to walk back towards Byakuya, though.

Suddenly, the ripping of the fabric of space and time appeared between Ichigo and Byakuya. Ichigo jumped back. Byakuya squeezed the hilt of _Senbonzakura_. As the _garganta_ continued to open, a small hollow was inside. It stepped out, looking around as if it was normal for _garganta_ to just appear in Soul Society.

"Haven't been here in a while," the hollow said as the _garganta_ shut behind it. It glanced over at Byakuya. "You have impressive reiatsu, shinigami. Not too bad in the looks department, either."

Byakuya just stared at the hollow. He could not tell what kind of hollow stood before him. Its reiatsu was minimal. It barely registered as a typical fifth seat. However, Byakuya was not an idiot. That could easily be a front. He could not spot a hole on it despite the amount of skin it was showing. Even the mask it wore was strange to go with the strange markings on its skin. But, it had used a _garganta_.

_That doesn't matter. Shinigami do have the ability to use them as well if trained in kido well enough_, he thought. _However, what reiatsu I do feel from it is that of a hollow. Then again, at times Kurosaki's reiatsu resembles a hollow. This is... odd. I suppose I can stop calling it "it." She's obviously female._

"Hey, who are you?" Ichigo asked. The hollow turned and looked at him. "Are you responsible for all this?" he asked. The hollow just giggled.

"Does that really matter right now, little orange shinigami?" She stared at him for a moment. "Something is... strange about you, little orange shinigami."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you come over here and I'll show you how 'strange' I am," Ichigo taunted.

"Oooh. I think I like you, little orange shinigami. However, I have places to be and people to see."

Byakuya's eyes widened. He turned as he realized that the hollow was next to him. He turned his head. For the first time, he clearly saw her eyes in the darkness. They were red with a black sclera. Byakuya only had one more second to look down a bright white light caught his eye.

_A __**WHITE**__ cero_?

"Byakuya!" Ichigo yelled.

"Buh-bye, shinigami," the hollow said. She released the unique _cero_. It appeared to go through both Byakuya and the gate behind him.

Ichigo flashed forward, looking around. All he saw was the hollow. She cut her eyes to him. Ichigo held _Zangetsu_ out towards him. She smirked and disappeared. He struggled with the decision on whether to give chase or search for Byakuya. He knew that Byakuya would not give up that easily.

"Damnit, Byakuya! Where are you?" Ichigo yelled as he looked through the rubble of the destroyed gate.

"Quiet, Kurosaki..." Byakuya stumbled forward. Ichigo turned and faced him. He was somewhat relieved to see him. Then he took in the sight of Byakuya. He had dodged, but still been hit with the _cero_. Dodging merely lessened the damage. Instead of it going through him, it had nearly taken off his left arm. _**NEARLY**_. His entire left side was covered in his blood. Ichigo wondered how his scarf and seemingly remained undamaged.

* * *

Sangre stood on a building not too far from the destroyed gate. She smirked when she saw Byakuya emerge, wounded but alive.

"Tougher than I thought. I should watch that one." She faced the front again. "Nothing like a little stroll through the Seireitei..."

Sangre jumped down and began walking. After about fifteen minutes of silence, she was growing bored. She was growing bored and suspiciously hungry.

_I would've thought someone would've come for me by now. I'm disappointed_, she thought.

She was not disappointed for long. She knew that she should have been more attentive. However, sometimes simple things like attentiveness and common sense eluded her. Given the fact that she was currently suppressing her reiatsu, she should not have needed to really taken to hiding in the shadows. The saying was that the best place to hide was out in the open. That was where she was.

So when several members of the Onmitsukido led by Soi Fon surrounded her, a small smile played on her lips beneath her mask. She looked around mentally counting the members of the force. She spotted their tiny captain. She appeared angry.

"This ends here, hollow," Soi Fon said.

"No no, captain. I'm afraid it's just beginning. I do hope you'll be more fun than the other two," Sangre said. Soi Fon frowned.

"Other two?"

"I didn't catch their names. I think they were of the Sixth Division. That's what one's haori said, at least." Sangre sighed. "So, are we gonna get this over with? I'd really like to continue my walk."

Soi Fon could not believe the audacity of the hollow before her. It was so pathetically weak. How could it possibly stand up to her, let alone Byakuya Kuchiki or Ichigo Kurosaki? She growled something and motioned for her men to attack the hollow before her.

_They'll do for a light snack_, Sangre thought as she moved her right hand to the bottom of her mask to lift it.

* * *

**AN: "Sakki no Gekshoku" loosely put means "the thirst for blood of the lunar eclipse." "Shukketsu Odoriko" means "bleeding dancer." As you can guess, Yuri's zanpakuto will have something to do with… blood. Yes, there is a reason that Yuri refers to her zanpakuto in the plural. "Viento" means "wind" and "Truenos" means "thunder" in Spanish.**


	6. Chapter 5: Cracked

**Extinction**

**Chapter 5: Cracked**

**

* * *

**

Soi Fon squinted. She realized what the hollow was going to do a fraction of a second too late. Before she could call her men back, they all dropped to the ground as bodies without souls. She watched as said souls were instead ingested by the small hollow standing just below her.

Sangre replaced her mask and shook her head. They had tasted... distinctive, if that was the right word. However, they served their purpose. Her hunger had been sated for the time being. She glanced up at the captain who seemed to be about her height. She was staring maliciously at Sangre. Sangre made to say something when a horrendous twinge shot up through her horns.

Soi Fon could see that the hollow was about to speak. Right before it said anything, it bent over in agony. Soi Fon watched as it started grabbing at its mask. After a few tugs, it ripped it completely off and fell to its knees. Thinking that it had just committed possible suicide or at the least substantially weakened itself even more, she jumped down from the building she was on. The hollow started to laugh, causing Soi Fon to pause.

"Damn horns," Sangre said. She glared up at Soi Fon, her eyes glowing yellow now. She winced again as another ache shot through her horns. It passed and she tried to pull herself to her feet. Before she got there, another far more painful jolt of pain caused her to completely collapse back to the ground. Then something odd happened.

Soi Fon did not know what to do as she watched the display before her. In one light, it was painful to see something that looked so... human go through so much pain. In another, it was a hollow that had just killed about thirty men. The thing deserved to die as far as she was concerned. But, whatever was happening to it at the moment looked... most unusual for a hollow. She watched as the already meter-long horns grew about two inches more from the hollow's head. The new portions were covered in what appeared to be blood. The hollow slowly stood.

"Whew!" She rubbed her now bare forehead. "Glad that's over and done with. These things suck."

"You do realize that I could've killed you at anytime just then, right?" Soi Fon asked.

"I appreciate the honor you showed in not attacking while I was so vulnerable. However, that might have been the only chance you will have against me, shinigami." It sounded so confident. "Oh! Perhaps I should introduce myself. I didn't get a chance when I was with the other captain."

"Your name is not necessary, hollow. You will die just the same." Soi Fon pulled out her zanpakuto. The hollow raised an eyebrow, or what Soi Fon could assume was one; it was just a red marking over her right eye.

"Well, can I at least have the privilege of knowing yours?" Sangre asked.

"I am Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division and Commander of the Onmitsukido. Remember it, hollow." Soi Fon attacked.

* * *

Rukia ran right past Orihime. Her eyes widened. She stopped and turned around.

"Orihime!" she called. Orihime turned to look at her. She smiled and waved at Rukia. They ran back towards one another. "What are you doing all the way out here? It's far too dangerous," Rukia said. Orihime just continued to smile.

"Ren told me to stay at the barracks, but I don't like the way things are shaping up. I'm going to find my division. With my Shun Shun Rikka, I could probably help. Now that I'm a shinigami, they seem to heal about ten times as fast. I could be of use out there. Where are you headed?" she asked.

"Well, I, uh..."

Rukia was cut off as a _cero _came at them. She pushed Orihime down to the ground and landed on top of her. The two women looked up to see a Gillian hollow walking slowly towards them. Frowning Rukia stood up.

"Orihime, stay hidden. This'll only take a moment," she said as she unsheathed her zanpakuto. "Dance, _Sode no Shirayuki_!" Rukia jumped up towards the large hollow.

Orihime hid behind a tree. She was not useless. She was learning kido. She was not quite confident enough in the higher level spells to put them to use on the battlefield, yet. Perhaps it was best if she did stay out of the way unless she was going to heal. Sighing, she continued to watch Rukia combat the giant hollow.

"_Tsugi no mai, Hakuren_!" Rukia yelled. The ice destroyed that Gillian efficiently. Rukia took a deep breath and turned to where she had left Orihime. Orihime came out of her hiding spot. "Ready?" she asked.

"Yes. You're going to come wi..." Orihime's eyes widened. She put her hands up immediately. Rukia had barely turned around before the orange shield that Orihime could produce blocked what appeared to be a _cero_. Rukia's eyes went wide. She glanced back at Orihime.

"I didn't know your shield was that strong," she said. Orihime smiled back at her and shrugged.

"Well, I couldn't block... Ulquiorra's _cero_, for instance. But I can block weak ones. Whoever shot that wasn't too powerful. Where do you think they went?" Orihime asked. Rukia held _Sode no Shirayuki_ tightly as the two looked around. "Above us!" Orihime looked up.

"_Some no mai, Tsukishiro_!" The pillar of ice formed a few feet away from the ladies. Orihime saw it was some sort of green hollow; maybe an Adjuchas-class.

_I blocked an Adjuchas-class _cero? she thought. She jumped for joy in her mind.

"Orihime!" Rukia's voice came back to her mind. She looked back at her. "Let's go before anything else comes after us," she said. Orihime nodded and they started running again.

* * *

Unohana walked back to her division. _Minazuki_ was at her side. She motioned for the giant manta ray to release those inside of its huge body. About five injured shinigami fell out. Members of the 4th Division ran forward and gathered them up, taking them inside. Unohana held out her tsuba and _Minazuki_ reverted back to her zanpakuto. Then she sheathed it as Isane came up to her.

"Captain, we have an emergency. Captain Hitsugaya just brought in Captain Awai. Captain Kuchiki is also here and I think he keeps trying to sneak out. He's clearly in no shape to," Isane said. Unohana nodded and followed Isane inside.

Isane led Unohana to the room where Byakuya was. Right before she opened the door, Byakuya pulled it open. Unohana smiled up at him. Byakuya inhaled sharply, trying not to show fear of the woman before him.

"Going somewhere, Captain Kuchiki?" Unohana asked. "Lieutenant Kotetsu tells me that you're in no condition to go back to battle," she said. Byakuya shot Isane an evil glare. Isane shrank back from his cold stare. Then Byakuya looked back at Unohana.

"Captain Unohana, I need to lead my division while they are out..."

"Oh, I'm sure they will do fine, captain. Your arm needs to heal and that will not happen if you're swinging your zanpakuto around outside. Please have a seat and I will come right back to check on you," Unohana said, still smiling.

"Captain Uno..."

"Please have a seat, Captain Kuchiki. I will be with you in a moment." Unohana opened her eyes. Byakuya nodded and stepped back in the room. Unohana closed the door and turned to keep going down the hall.

A few of her healers were working around a patient she could not see. She looked to her left and saw Toshiro leaning against the windowsill. His arms were folded and he looked somber. Unohana then began approaching the bed. She tapped her subordinates and they moved out of the way. She gasped at the sight before her.

_Poor girl_, she thought.

"Severe internal bleeding, captain. All of her other injuries are minor," someone said. Unohana nodded. She had actually hoped that Isane had been talking about the _**OTHER**_ Captain Awai. Ren was as resilient as they came. Yuri, on the other hand, was not as lucky. She might as well have been a hemophiliac. Unohana had been told that the reason was because of Yuri's abilities involving her zanpakuto; the strain it put on her body if she was ever severely injured.

"Right now, I just need to stop the bleeding. We can worry about everything else later." Unohana examined the wound and how deep it was. She looked over at Toshiro. "What did this to her?" she asked. Toshiro took a deep breath.

"I believe it was a Vasto Lorde. She killed it, but when I found her she was barely alive," he said. Unohana nodded and looked back down at Yuri, whose breathing was hitching again.

"Captain Hitsugaya, go and find her brother."

* * *

The hollow grabbed Soi Fon's zanpakuto with its hand. Soi Fon glared at it. A grin just spread across its face. Soi Fon jumped back and landed and few feet away. The hollow looked at its hand. There was a small cut from the zanpakuto there. It started to slowly heal.

"Hmm. You cut me. Perhaps I should harden my reiatsu a little more," it said. It began glowing red for a moment. Soi Fon blinked.

_This doesn't make sense! I should be winning this fight! This hollow or whatever the hell it is shouldn't be able to touch me_! she thought. She stood up straight. The hollow took note of it.

"What's up, shini..." Sangre paused when she noticed Soi Fon was clinging to her from behind. "If you wanted a piggy-back ride all you had to do was ask," she said with a laugh. Her laugh was cut short when she felt Soi Fon's zanpakuto at her neck.

"Sting all enemies to death, _Suzumebachi_," she said in Sangre's ear.

Sangre watched with interest as what had been a wakizashi-type sword became a sort of pointed stinger on Soi Fon's right hand's middle finger.

"So... what happens now?" Sangre asked. She heard Soi Fon smirk and realized what she was going to do a fraction of a second too late. The next second passed and they were standing across from one another again. Sangre touched her body, looking for any puncture wounds. Nothing appeared to be there. "Did you miss? You were _**ON**_ me. How could you..."

"I didn't miss," Soi Fon said. She pointed at Sangre's mid-section. Sangre looked down. The butterfly-shaped Houmonka appeared. Sangre tried to rub it off. She looked up at Soi Fon.

"Care to explain?" she asked.

"Certainly. _Suzumebachi's_ special ability is _Nigeki Kessatsu_. That means all I have to do is hit you in the same spot twice and you'll die," Soi Fon said. Sangre took in her words.

"Really now?" Soi Fon nodded. "Give it your best shot," Sangre said.

Soi Fon blinked. She knew the hollow was trying to get a rise out of her. She had never met someone so incredibly infuriating in her life. She was worse than Kisuke Urahara. Sighing, she just stood there, watching the hollow for the longest moment. The hollow scratched the wild, short red hair that sat at the top of her head.

"You're beginning to bore me. So," she disappeared and reappeared in Soi Fon's face, "I'll come to you," she said. Soi Fon immediately flashed away.

_I'm supposed to be doing the chasing! Not the other way around_! she thought as she heard laughing behind her.

"Come back, shinigami! I thought you supposed to be trying to hit me twice! I don't wanna cha..." Sangre paused as Soi Fon disappeared from in front of her. She smirked and moved to her left. She landed back on the ground, Soi Fon following. She took a look at her left arm. Three Houmonka had appeared up and down it. "You're pretty fast at pointing that thing."

"You're pretty fast at dodging it," Soi Fon said. "I don't give compliments easily, hollow. Consider yourself lucky."

"I shall practice my curtsy." Sangre narrowed her eyes. "I've grown tired of playing with you, shinigami captain. Gonna try to finish me off?" she asked. Soi Fon did not move. She just stared at Sangre. Sangre sighed and turned around to walk off. "No? Then I guess I'll be go..."

Sangre grabbed Soi Fon's hand as Soi Fon aimed for the first Houmonka she had placed on her mid-section. A grin spread across her face. Soi Fon's eyes had widened considerably. How had she seen her? Sangre examined _Suzumebachi_ on Soi Fon's middle finger as Soi Fon tried to break out of the tight grip Sangre had on her.

"This really is an interesting device you have here. It's very decorative and pretty," Sangre said. She noticed Soi Fon's struggling. Sighing, she twisted the captain's arm around. Soi Fon inhaled and fell to her knees. "So, how do I get these little tattoos to come off?" Sangre asked.

"They don't come off unless I tell them to," Soi Fon said through pain.

"I'm practically ripping your arm off. Don't you think that'd be a good idea?" Sangre said, looking down at Soi Fon. Soi Fon glared up at her and shook her head. Sangre sighed and rolled her eyes. She took her pinky finger between her own fingers. The sickening crunch of it breaking was loud enough for it to echo in the area they were in. "Captain, you only have five fingers on this hand. When I'm through with them, your arm comes next. I just won't break it. I'll take it with me as a trophy."

Soi Fon still said nothing. Instead, she flinched as she felt her ring finger break. Sangre sighed again. She looked at Soi Fon's hand and saw that she was at her middle finger; where _Suzumebachi _resided.

"Tell me, captain. What happens if I break your zanpakuto?" she asked. Soi Fon looked up immediately. Sangre smiled and broke Soi Fon's finger along with _Suzumebachi_. Soi Fon let out a shrill scream. The Houmonka on Sangre's body disappeared. She glanced down at the fallen captain with a blank face. "Hmm. You've provided enough excitement for now." Sangre began forming a white _cero_.

Suddenly, what looked like a massive snake's skull rammed into Sangre. It knocked her away from Soi Fon. Soi Fon blinked as a skeleton followed behind the skull. She immediately recognized the spectacle as Renji Abarai's bankai. She turned her head to see the man in question and his lieutenant running up to her.

"Captain Soi Fon, are you..." Kira stopped when Soi Fon pushed him away as she stood up. She held her hand to her chest.

"I'm fine. Pay attention to that hollow. She's... different," Soi Fon said. Kira nodded.

"What's different about her?" Renji asked. Soi Fon opened her mouth to answer when _Hihio Zabimaru_ suddenly exploded into pieces. Renji raised an eyebrow. The different pieces fell to the ground and a small figure fell along with it.

"That wasn't very nice, shinigami," Sangre said. She took notice of the two newcomers. "Another captain and lieutenant. Tonight just keeps getting better and better."

Renji looked Sangre over. Then he looked at Soi Fon. The captain was all but growling at the hollow. He slowly began to reconstitute _Hihio Zabimaru_, trying not to draw attention to it.

"Are you sure that's a hollow?" Renji asked. This question seemed to anger Sangre.

"I'm not a _**THAT**_," she said, her eyes glowing red. She watched as _Hihio Zabimaru _surrounded Renji, Kira, and Soi Fon. "That is an interesting toy you've got there, shinigami. Excellent choice of color, too," she said, referring to the red.

_She is definitely different. But she's obviously hiding her reiatsu_, Renji thought. He looked to his right. Then he looked at Kira.

"Get the captain out of here. I'll handle this," he said. Soi Fon glared up at him.

"What? You're no ma..." Kira hit Soi Fon on the back of the neck, rendering her unconscious. Both he and Renji exchanged worried looks; when she woke up there would be hell to pay.

"Go," Renji said. Kira nodded and took off.

Sangre watched them go. Then she looked at Renji and his interesting "toy."

"So, what do you call that thing? Is it your _**BANKAI**_?" she asked. Renji appeared surprised for a moment. Then he nodded slowly.

"_Hihio Zabimaru_ and yes, it is." He needed to buy a little more time. He smirked at her. "You said you weren't a _**THAT**_. So, tell me what you are."

"I am a hollow, but I am a _**SHE**_, not a that. Not all hollows are things. My name is Sangre. Who are you, shinigami? The little captain declined to learn my name. I bet she wishes she knew it now," Sangre said. Renji frowned.

"Captain of the Third Division, Renji Abarai."

"You gonna attack me with that?"

"Yeah. I highly doubt you can dodge the attack."

"We'll see." Sangre smiled and headed for him.

* * *

Ichigo hurried across the rooftops. He could tell Renji was fighting the hollow that had attacked him and Byakuya earlier. Most of the attacks had died down since. He knew that Isane was trying to keep Byakuya in the 4th's barracks. He had no idea where Rukia was but she knew Orihime was with her. At the moment, it appeared as if Renji was stalling.

_He knows I'm coming_, Ichigo thought. _I'll try not to disappoint_.

* * *

Renji stared at Sangre. She was currently standing above him on a broken wall. She jumped down as his bankai started to reconstitute itself once more. He did not fully understand how she could be a hollow. She had no hole or mask from what he could see. It made no sense. The only thing on her that was remotely hollow-like was those gigantic horns coming out of the top of her head. He couldn't say her markings were hollow-like because then he might as well group himself in the crazy markings department with all his tattoos.

"Ready?" Sangre asked while approaching him. Renji smirked and nodded. "Keep me entertained, shinigami."

"Oh, I will." Renji crossed his right arm over his shoulder.

_This will use up a lot of energy. Ichigo better be ready to kick ass when he gets here_, he thought.

"_Hikotsu Taiho_!" Renji yelled while swinging _Hihio Zabimaru_ out like a whip. The snake-like skull opened up, revealing the dense red energy intended for Sangre. Sangre stopped walking.

_Totally not expecting that_, she thought. She made to jump out of the way. While she was in the air, she felt another, hollow-like reiatsu directly behind her. _Another hollow_? Everything seemed to happen in slow motion thereafter.

Sangre turned her head. Her eyes widened considerably when she realized that she was looking at the flame-headed lieutenant from earlier. There were two significant differences and one stood out far more than the other. The first was that he did not have the gigantic cleaver he had wielded earlier, but instead a black sword of some type raised above his head. The second, and most obvious, was that he wore a hollow mask over his face and his reiatsu was that of one.

Sangre was stunned. She was almost too stunned to move. As she stared with her red eyes wide in amazement, she completely disregarded the fact that he intended to attack her. By the time she noticed the black reiatsu forming in the blade, it was almost too late.

"_Getsuga Tensho_!" Ichigo yelled, swinging down at Sangre.

Renji blinked. He saw the blast connect with something. Something went flying to the ground. Something created a huge crater. He jumped a bit when Ichigo appeared next to him.

"Is she..."

"She's still alive," Ichigo said. Renji sighed. "She dodged at the last minute. I had to have hit her somewhere, though. Maybe she's missing an arm or something."

"No, I'm in one piece," a cold voice said. It sounded angry and completely different from how Sangre had sounded before. Sangre stood up in the crater she had created. She glared at Ichigo, as he still had his hollow mask on. "I knew there was something strange about you, little orange shini..." She stopped.

Renji and Ichigo stood there, waiting for her to finish her sentence. She stared blankly through them for a moment before cutting her eyes up and to her left. Then Renji and Ichigo noticed it. Her left horn had cracked ever-so-slightly about an inch from the base.

"Well that doesn't happen very often. I swear these things are a fucking nuisance," she said. She turned on her heel and started to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ichigo yelled. Sangre turned and looked at him. "After all the damage you've caused, you just can't leave, damnit!"

"And why not, little orange shinigami? Are you gonna fight me?" Sangre stared him in the eye.

Ichigo's mask cracked under the pressure he was under; the pressure she was directing at him. Normally, he would not succumb to such circumstances, but seeing how he was clearly not ready for what Sangre had done, he had been completely blind-sided. Renji looked between the two, obviously confused. He could not feel whatever Sangre was doing to Ichigo. He saw her smirk.

"It would appear that even as a shinigami you are still affected by my reiatsu. I don't know _**HOW**_ you attained the abilities of a hollow, but I assure you that you will regret it." Sangre turned and opened a _garganta_. She stepped through and faced them again. "Good night, shinigami."

* * *

Once Sangre stepped through on the other side into Hueco Mundo, she found herself in front of her remaining nine followers. She stared at them for a moment. They looked at her as if they were surprised to see her back; so early, at least. Truenos seemed to be the only one to realize that something was awfully wrong.

"Sangre?" he started.

"Damn horns..." Sangre fainted into his arms.


	7. Chapter 6: Aftermath

**Extinction**

**Chapter 6: Aftermath**

**

* * *

**

Ren burst through the door of the 4th Division. The place smelled of anesthetic and gauze. Everyone looked up to see the captain of the 5th Division looking around. His expression was one of anxiety. He started moving, searching for Captain Unohana or Lieutenant Kotetsu. He saw Isane stepping out of a room. She turned her head and gasped as Ren grabbed her by her arms and shook her.

"Where is she?" he asked frantically. Isane took a deep breath while making to point down the hall.

"She's..."

"Captain Awai, if you would be so kind as to unhand my lieutenant," Unohana said from Ren's right. Ren turned and faced the senior captain. He let Isane go slowly and nodded. He looked at her sheepishly.

"I am sorry, lieutenant. I'm just..."

"It's certainly understandable, captain. Excuse me. I must check on the others." Isane nodded at the two captains and walked around them. Ren looked over at Unohana.

"Captain Unohana, how's my sister?" he asked. Unohana led him down the hall to a quieter area and opened a door. She stepped to the side to allow him access to the room. Ren took a deep breath and walked in. Unohana was about to follow when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned to see Momo. She appeared to be out of breath as she jogged up to her.

"He moves... so... fast... Barely... kept up," she said between pants for air. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She peered inside the room and gasped.

Ren stared down at his sister. Yuri was hooked up to the life support system. Her right arm was wrapped. Curiously, her hair was down. She was asleep; Ren knew that was something she would never allow had she been conscious. She was also hooked up to some sort of IV. He turned back to look at Unohana.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"The story is a bit hazy, but from what Captain Hitsugaya told me she got into a fight with what is presumed to be Vasto Lorde. We'll have to wait for her to wake to confirm it. She apparently won, but came away with severe internal bleeding. I was able to stop the bleeding, but she needs a transplant. I was hoping you'd be able to supply her." Ren immediately nodded. "Good."

* * *

Elsewhere, Hisagi and the rest of the 9th Division were licking their wounds with the 10th Division. Rangiku had finished wrapping his arm until they got to someone who could heal it properly. Toshiro had not made it back yet.

"It's a lot quieter now. Sounds like this attack is finally over," Hisagi said. Rangiku nodded solemnly. "What's wrong?"

"Our captains never came back. They never even came back to this general area. Do you think Toshiro made it to Yuri?" Rangiku asked. Hisagi nodded.

"I'm sure he did. That's the frightening part, though. Either she was so badly wounded that he had to take her back to the Seireitei immediately or they both..." He noticed Rangiku shaking her head. "Sorry. I can't see Yuri losing to a hollow. Nor can I see Hitsugaya. I'm sure they're both fine."

"Yeah. I just wish I was certain..."

Orihime sighed. Healing seven people at once was tiring. Rukia walked over to her. They had never made it to where the 5th Division was. They had never even made it to where the 13th Division was. They two women had come across a village that was being ruthlessly attacked and stayed to defend it; by themselves.

Then, without warning, the hollows completely stopped coming.

"You almost finished here?" Rukia asked. She still had _Sode no Shirayuki_ out just in case.

"Yeah. I'm exhausted, though. I don't think I've ever healed so many people at a single time before. We should head back. The sun is going to come up in about an hour," Orihime said. Rukia nodded and the two started to run back.

* * *

Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku stood before Captain-Commander Yamamoto. The old captain looked even older now that the attack was over. He was listening to Ukitake and Kyoraku report on the different happenings and how much damage the Seireitei itself had taken.

"Sir, the Seireitei's damage was actually quite minimal, considering the circumstances and magnitude of this type of attack. The real damage was done in the Rukongai," Ukitake said.

"Did anything get _**THROUGH**_ the gates?" Yamamoto asked. Ukitake and Kyoraku looked at one another. Kyoraku cleared his throat.

"We were not there to witness it for ourselves, but we know that a single hollow did make it past the wall near the North Gate. That is where the Sixth Division was set up," Kyoraku said. Yamamoto sat quietly for a moment.

"Call a meeting in thirty minutes; all able captains and lieutenants are to attend," he said. Kyoraku and Ukitake nodded.

* * *

Soi Fon looked at her bandaged hand. She was tough. Three broken fingers was not the end of the world. If anything, her pride and ego were bruised more than her body. She had come to the conclusion that losing to the Hollow-Whose-Name-She-Did-Not-Know was worse than losing her arm to the Segunda Espada all those years ago. That had definitely been a blow to her dignity, but she had to say that if Orihime Inoue did not exist, life would be unfair.

_That hollow is mine the next time I see her_, Soi Fon thought. She looked at the end table next to the bed where her broken zanpakuto was. _Suzumebachi_ had reverted back into its wakizashi form. The only difference was that it was now split in two. Soi Fon could hear the spirit mouthing off in protest at its fate and how weak Soi Fon was for letting it get to this state. The zanpakuto would mend itself in a few days. _But first, I'm going to kick Kira's ass for hitting me_...

* * *

Upon hearing about the fate of his captain, Hisagi left Akira in charge of the division as they filed back in the Seireitei. Then he headed over to the 4th Division immediately. When he found Yuri's room, he was greeted with a loud snore from Ren. Yuri's twin brother was resting his head on Yuri's lap and still sleeping. Yuri, however, looked as if she had been through a war and back. Hisagi slowly made his way inside and over to the other side of her bed.

_She looks less... angry when she's asleep_, Hisagi thought. _Maybe that's because it doesn't look like her hair is trying to run from her face_. He smirked at his own joke.

"Huh?" Ren sat up and looked around. He blinked Hisagi into his vision and smiled politely. "Hey, Lieutenant Hisagi. Checking up on your captain?"

"Yeah. I didn't expect her to look like this," Hisagi mumbled as he sat. "If she looks like this, what does whatever she fought look like?"

"It's in a few pieces in a West Rukongai forest," a husky voice murmured. The two men looked down to see Yuri's gray eyes flutter open slowly. She frowned slightly. "Just what I wanted to see: a big sixty-nine in my face and a horse's ass."

"Glad you're awake, Lily. Was using your zanpakuto necessary? I don't want to have to give blood every time you get a scratch," Ren said. Yuri shot him a glare.

"It would appear as though Unohana has somehow rendered my body useless. Otherwise, I'd smack you. Yes! Using my zanpakuto was necessary. Getting a katana rammed into me wasn't exactly part of the plan, though," Yuri said. She could not move anything but her head to look around.

"You said Unohana drugged you?" Hisagi asked. Yuri managed to nod. "Why would she do that?"

"She has a habit of sneaking out with gaping holes still in her body. I cannot have that." Everyone looked at the door to see Unohana standing there, smiling. "Gentlemen, there will be a meeting for all captains and lieutenants in about fifteen minutes. Perhaps you should get ready."

The two men nodded and started to leave. Yuri gave them looks that said "Don't leave me alone with her!" After they were gone, Yuri looked over at Unohana. The 4th Division's captain headed over to Yuri.

"Can't I go?" Yuri asked.

"No, Captain Awai. You need as much rest as possible so as not to reopen your internal wounds. That is also why I have bound you to that bed. Your lieutenant will go in your place. He will report everything to you. You just work on getting better, hm?" Unohana smiled at Yuri. Yuri nodded reluctantly.

* * *

"How did this happen?" Truenos asked.

"Surprise attack. I ate about thirty souls, they grew a couple of inches, and apparently they were still a bit soft around the base," Sangre moaned as she leaned back on the base of a tree deep in the Menos Forest. She had a splitting headache. She looked at Truenos again. "What do you know of shinigami using the powers of hollows?"

Truenos hummed under his mask. He had heard of such things but had never encountered shinigami with the powers of a hollow before. Apparently, this new discovery had only managed to tick Sangre off further. He cleared his throat, thinking of his next words carefully. Sangre was liable to kill anything when she had a headache.

"I have heard of them. I do not know the proper name for them, though. Did one attack you?" he asked. Sangre nodded. "He is the one who cracked your horn?" Sangre nodded again.

"It will heal itself in a few hours. I'm just pissed about it. There's a line between hollow and shinigami that should never be crossed. Some stupid shinigami who thought he could play God went around screwing with the balance and look what's happened!" Sangre yelled while releasing reiatsu. The tree behind her gave way and fell. She sighed and looked around. If there had been hollows close-by, there were none now. "Fuck! My head hurts..."

* * *

With a loud tap of his staff, Yamamoto called the meeting to order. All the "able" captains and lieutenants stood and looked at the captain-commander. Of the captains, Soi Fon, Byakuya, Komamura, and Yuri were missing. Of the lieutenants only Omaeda was missing. Although he did not show it, Yamamoto was grateful that so many of the leaders had survived.

"I know most of you are exhausted. I will make this brief. In the wake of this attack on Soul Society, a lot will need to be done. The damage to the Seireitei itself was minimal. Besides repairing the North Gate, it can easily be overlooked for the time being. However, the damage done to the Rukongai cannot be overlooked. Our next task is relief efforts. Captains, I also want a full report on losses in your respective divisions," the old captain said. He noticed a hand go up. "Yes, Lieutenant Kuchiki?"

"Forgive me, sir. But, _**WHAT**_ broke through the North Gate?" Rukia asked. Everyone looked at her. She swallowed. "What I mean is that no ordinary hollow could just break in. It'd have to be one of considerable..."

"I don't know what kind of hollow she was," Ichigo said suddenly. All eyes turned to him. "She attacked Bya... Captain Kuchiki and the gate at the same time with a white _cero_. I convinced Captain Kuchiki to go to the Fourth and then went after the hollow."

"Can you describe this hollow?" Yamamoto asked.

"Short, taller than Rukia, though." Rukia glared at Ichigo. "She had dark red hair. She wore red. She had a strange mask, but the second time I saw her, it was gone," Ichigo said.

"Gone?" Ukitake asked. Ichigo nodded.

"She never had one from what I saw," Renji said. "I saw her whole face and she just had the big star tattooed over her right eye and a lot of markings over her body. She also had these huge horns sticking out of the top of her head."

"Horns?" Kurotsuchi asked. He finally looked interested in the conversation.

"Yes." Everyone turned to look at the door. Soi Fon stood there, her hand still wrapped up. "She had horns. After eating my men's souls, they grew a few inches. It seemed to be painful for her because _**THAT'S**_ when she ripped off her mask." The short captain made her way to her spot. She gave Kira an evil look before the lieutenant looked away.

"Where was the hole on this hollow?" Kurotsuchi asked. There was a deafening silence. "Surely one of you saw the hollow's hole. All hollows have a hole." Ichigo, Soi Fon, and Renji shook their heads.

"It may seem strange, but she had no hole from what we could tell. The only true characteristic just by a passing glance were those horns. Other characteristics were the use of sonido and _cero_," Soi Fon said.

"Why did the hollow just up and leave?" Kenpachi asked. He received a reproachful glance from Unohana. "Well it seems pretty dumb that it'd just up and leave if it had beaten two captains, was beating a captain, and was about to start with another lieutenant. What gives?"

"Not everyone goes looking for fights, Captain Zaraki," Soi Fon said.

"Listen..."

"She left because her left horn cracked," Ichigo said quickly. Then he remembered how he had even managed to hit Sangre at all. "She took a _Getsuga Tensho_ point-blank. I took her by surprise. She seemed pretty angry about something..."

Ichigo stopped as the sound of a _garganta_ opening somewhere was heard. Everyone looked in the center of the room to find that it was directly in front of them. Hands went to zanpakuto and everyone was immediately on their guard. Somehow, Ichigo was a little less than shocked to see who stepped out of it.

_I've really had about enough of _garganta_ for today_, he thought as Halibel walked through.

"Tia Halibel," Yamamoto said from the front of the room. Halibel gave everyone a cold stare before facing the old man.

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, what has happened here?" she asked.

"You don't know?" Toshiro asked. Halibel glared at him.

"Should I?" she retorted.

"Soul Society was ambushed by hollows. Kurosaki, Abarai, Soi Fon, and Kuchiki all encountered the same rather powerful hollow," Kyoraku said. "She put Kuchiki in the Fourth and, uh, hurt Soi Fon. Kurosaki and Abarai managed to get her to retreat."

"I see." Halibel walked forward. "The hollow you met is named Sangre Negra."

"You've met her?"

"We've... exchanged pleasantries. She is not too fond of my kind," Halibel explained.

"What do you mean?" Unohana asked.

"She dislikes shinigami. Arrancar use both hollow and shinigami powers. Needless to say, we aren't exactly on her good side. She attacked Grimmjow and took one of my _ceros_ to the face. My _cero _merely cracked her mask. That only prompted her to pull it off. She seems pretty bent on," Halibel cleared her throat, "destroying you and anything having to do with shinigami."

"That would include the Arrancar as well?" Ukitake asked. Halibel nodded.

"There is another thing about her that I found odd. She said something about leaving Barragan in charge for a few centuries and it being the biggest mistake she ever made," she said.

"Wait a minute. So, he..." Halibel cut Soi Fon off with a nod of her head. "Then that means..." Halibel nodded again. "Wow. That explains a lot."

"Mind letting us in on that conversation?" Ichigo asked.

"Certainly. Barragan had everyone under the impression that he was the king of Hueco Mundo or so on. Apparently, he was just taking someone's place. I wonder why no one else knew that," Soi Fon said.

"Others knew that. They were either killed or cared not to intervene with Barragan," Halibel said.

"Who?"

"The Vasto Lorde. They separated themselves from the rest of the hollows, hence why you all seem to think they are naturally 'solitary.' Their numbers also used to be far greater. According to Nel and Nnoitra, while Aizen was gathering his army he gave the option to join him or die. Vasto Lorde are not 'shinigami-friendly,'" Halibel explained.

"So..."

"This whole situation would appear to be the fault of Aizen," Kyoraku said. He let out a low whistle. "Gotta hand it to him. The guy really knows how to leave a legacy. Any chance we can keep this Sangre from throwing another temper tantrum here?" he asked.

"I don't think that's possible. She seems pretty set on annihilating Arrancar and shinigami alike. She has every Vasto Lorde and the entire Menos Forest at her disposal," Halibel said frankly. She looked at Yamamoto. "What do you plan on doing about this?" she asked the old man.

Yamamoto said nothing for the longest. He finally cleared his throat and looked at sighed.

"We have no choice but to defend Soul Society as best we can until this threat is over with. Anything else comes secondary." He opened his eyes and met Halibel's equally as stern eyes. "What of your lot?"

"We will defend Las Noches as we see fit. Due to its connection with Aizen, Sangre does not seem to want to invade it." Halibel turned and walked to the back of the room. She opened a _garganta_. Before she stepped through, she faced the room of shinigami captains and lieutenants. "If you have anyone stationed in Karakura, I suggest you recall them." She left.

Everyone looked a little confused for a moment. Then they all looked at Ukitake and Rukia.

"I believe Lieutenant Kusajishi is there as we speak," Rukia said quietly. "She volunteered."

"Why does it matter is someone is in the real world? This has nothing to do with the humans," Kenpachi said.

More silence fell around the group. Rukia looked at Ichigo from across the room. He seemed to be in deep thought as well. She had a theory, but she did not want to sound foolish. Still, she raised her hand and spoke up.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the Vizards," Rukia said. Everyone looked at her. Rukia sank back at little. "It makes sense. She doesn't like the Arrancar because they are hollows with shinigami-like powers. Vizards are the inverse. Maybe we should call Lieutenant Kusajishi back immediately. She tends to go waltzing into fights without thinking..." Rukia trailed off.

"Are you saying Yachiru can't handle herself?" Kenpachi asked.

"I'm saying I don't want her to die. If this hollow can take a point-blank _Getsuga_ to the face and come away with a cracked horn, I doubt Yachiru will be able to do much more," Rukia said firmly. She had a point.

After another moment of silent deliberation, Unohana looked up at Yamamoto. As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head towards her.

"Wouldn't acting separately with the Arrancar be counter-productive to this situation, captain-commander? Wouldn't it make much more sense to join forces against such a powerful foe? One Vasto Lorde, who I believe was considered a dispensable one, nearly cleaved Captain Awai's entire right side out," Unohana said softly.

"Did Captain Awai survive such an injury?" Yamamoto asked.

"Barely. She needed help from her brother. We will need help for this, I assure you. We can't afford to underestimate this hollow."

"I see. I will consider speaking with Halibel again on the subject." The old captain sighed deeply. He tapped his cane lightly, grasping everyone's attention immediately. "We are entering a state of highest alert. Assignments for relief efforts will be given out tomorrow. Dismissed."

* * *

Orihime finally made it to her futon in her quarters. She would probably have to get up in another two hours. The sun was already peeking over the horizon. The problem with being in the 5th Division was that the division was responsible for getting messages around the Seireitei, and to a lesser extent, the Rukongai is a shinigami happened to be outside the wall. She had a feeling that she would not be getting a lot of rest in the coming days.

_More like weeks. I have a feeling this will go on for what will seem like forever_, she thought as she yawned. She rolled over on the futon and she fell asleep almost immediately.

It was only a few minutes later when a silent visitor entered her room. They approached her on the futon and looked down at her. After seeing that she was in one piece and without a scratch on her, they turned to leave.

"Ulquiorra, what are you doing here?" Orihime asked quietly.

Ulquiorra froze in his spot. He had not expected her to wake at all. He stared at the door for a moment before turning his head to look at her. She was now sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"I just got to sleep. What are you doing here? I don't think everyone will take too kindly to you being here at the moment."

"I heard about the attack. That is all," Ulquiorra said. They stared at one another in the thick silence of Orihime's bedroom for a moment. Orihime decided to clear her throat and then she looked away from Ulquiorra.

"That's all?" she asked.

"What other reason would I have?" Ulquiorra's voice was a bland and dry as ever as he said the words.

"You're right. What other reason would you have? Still, I must say that I had no idea you were so concerned about the wellbeing of the shinigami." Orihime looked at him slyly. Ulquiorra's face did not change but if she looked in his eyes, he might as well have been frowning at her.

"Did you fight, woman?"

"A little. I was with Rukia." Orihime smiled. "I even blocked an Adjuchas-class Menos' _cero_. I had no idea my shield was that strong. I'm really proud of myself." Orihime glanced up at Ulquiorra to find that he had moved closer to her but still had not sat down. "Ulquiorra?"

"Yes, woman?"

"Where... Where've you been for ten years?"

Ulquiorra stared down at her. This was a conversation he did not want to have; a conversation he was not _**READY**_ to have yet with Orihime. He had not completely left her. He just not been visible to her. What was he going to say to her now that she questioned his whereabouts? Ulquiorra did not lie and he most definitely did not lie to Orihime. He never had. Ulquiorra saw his outlet when Orihime yawned and blinked sleepily, barely opening her eyes.

"You are tired, woman. Sleep," he said. Orihime shook her head in protest, but made no move to stop Ulquiorra as he pushed her down on the bed. "Sleep," he said firmly.

"Yes, Schiffer," she said jokingly before closing her eyes.

* * *

Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi hit her communicator that resembled a cell phone against her leg. The thing had gone on the fritz the night before and she had not been able to fix it since. That meant she would have to actually rely on her senses to tell her where hollows were. That and she could not call thee Soul Society.

_This blows_, she thought as she literally blew a bubble with her gum.

As Yachiru contemplated just throwing the device over her shoulder, she felt a presence not too far away from her. Since she was horrible at sensing reiatsu and she could actually feel this one, something told her that it could be a big problem... or very interesting.

_To go to Urahara's or not to go to Urahara's; that is the question_, she thought. She smirked and tucked the cell phone under her pink sash. Then she took off towards the reiatsu. _I'm just going to investigate. Yes... investigate_.

* * *

Yoruichi sat up from her laid-out position on the mat. She glanced around for a moment. Urahara walked in, humming to himself as if he knew absolutely nothing. Yoruichi had half a mind to let loose into his ankles but decided just to speak.

"What was that, Kisuke?" she asked. Urahara faced her.

"Yoruichi! I didn't see you there. "What was what?" he asked, seemingly innocent.

"Don't play stupid. What was that?"

"Dunno. Feels like a hollow just came from Hueco Mundo," Urahara paused, "a very powerful hollow. Lieutenant Kusajishi appears to have caught on. Her sense of direction has improved... Yoruichi, why have you changed?"

"If Yachiru Kusajishi can suddenly gain the perfect sense of direction, that means this hollow is more powerful than usual. I'm going to check on her. I'm not having Kenpachi come gunning for me if his precious Yachiru gets hurt," Yoruichi said as she pulled on clothes. "Try to get in contact with Ukitake." With that, the cat-woman was gone.

* * *

Sangre watched the sun as it came up. She rubbed her newly-healed horn at the base. Then she glared directly ahead of her at the big warehouse. The building in no way looked intimidating or like it housed deadly beings. She turned her head to the left.

"Lluvia, are you sure this is the place?" she asked. A blue-haired Vasto Lorde nodded from behind her.

"Yes, Sangre. This is where the one called Shinji Hirako resides. Should I go in first?" Lluvia asked.

"No. A barrier surrounds this place. Instead, why don't you work on lowering your reiatsu and not attracting more hollows or worse: shinigami." Sangre walked forward towards the warehouse. She could see the barrier that surrounded the warehouse.

_Well this is a different sort of barrier. I've never encountered one like it before_, she thought as she placed her hand on it. The barrier rejected her immediately. Frowning, Sangre charged a _cero_ and let it fly.

* * *

Inside the warehouse, the first person to wake up as the barrier shattered was Hiyori Sarugaki. And she was not amused.

* * *

**Lluvia = rain in Spanish**

**I have decided that it's gonna be marked as Ulquiorra-Orihime, but it won't focus solely on them ALL the time (just a lot of it). Are we good? Other couple will include Nnoitra-Nel, Ichigo-Rukia, Byakuya-Yachiru (I love them and Yachiru's a big person now), and I'll pop others up as time goes by.  
**


	8. Chapter 7: Tattle

**Extinction**

**Chapter 7: Tattle**

**

* * *

**

Sangre had disappeared inside the barrier. Her headache had turned into more of a dull ache at the top of her head, so her attitude towards life in general was a bit better. It also helped that the gigai she wore kept the horns tucked away and safe. She decided to be polite and knock on the door to the warehouse before simply letting herself inside. After the fifth or so knock, a short, angry-looking blonde girl opened the door.

For a moment, all they did was stare at one another. It was as if they were sizing each other up; seeing the best way to go about starting the conversation. After all, one can sense when they are up against one of the same; at least personality-wise.

"Something you need? It's six in the fuckin' morning," Hiyori said to the strange-looking being. She crossed her arms.

"Well, aren't you a little ray of sunshine? Do you always answer the door like this?" Sangre asked.

"Only when strangers wake me up at six in the fuckin' morning. Now do you want something or not? I wanna go back to..."

"Shinji Hirako." Sangre watched Hiyori's facial expression completely change from annoyance to shock to annoyance again.

"He's not here, so get lost." Hiyori started to close the door. Sangre placed a finger on the door, stopping her. Hiyori looked back at her. "Are you deaf or something? I said he's not here."

"I beg to differ," Sangre said. She pulled the door away from Hiyori. Hiyori stumbled back into the warehouse, rubbing her wrist. Sangre then let herself in, smiling all the while. "I'm not here to kill him. No need to be so protective."

The man in question then walked out, yawning and stretching. He blinked Hiyori and Sangre into his vision. He first recognized that one was Hiyori. The second female did not register as anyone familiar. He blinked a few times more, trying to rack his brain for some recollection of the being before him. Shrugging, he let out another yawn.

"Hiyori, who's that you let in?" he asked while scratching his back. "Isn't it a little early for visitors?"

Hiyori looked back at Shinji. She briefly thought about throwing her slipper at him, but it was entirely too soft; not enough damage would be done. Instead, she faced Sangre again and pointed at Shinji.

"You wanted him. I'm sorry to say that's him," she mumbled.

Sangre nodded and looked at Shinji Hirako. Not much made up the man: tall, lanky, short blond hair, wide grin. He was as far from intimidating as they came. Then again, she did not appear very intimidating either and all of Hueco Mundo bowed to her. So, she would categorize Shinji Hirako under "looks can be deceiving" for now.

"I have a visitor?" Shinji seemed to realize. He looked at Sangre. She waved at him and gave him a small grin. He started to walk over to her. "Well hello there. I'm Shinji. What's your name?" he asked. Hiyori rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen.

"Sangre. I have a few questions. That's all."

"What would you like to know?" Shinji asked.

Sangre could not believe how easy this was becoming. This Shinji had a real weakness for pretty girls. If looking like a human made her pretty, perhaps she should look like one more often. She would get away with murder in the transient world.

_Not that I don't anyway_, she thought.

"I want to know about," she paused, turning her red eyes on Shinji, "shinigami with the powers of hollows. I believe you are one."

The whole atmosphere in the room seemed to change. Shinji stared at Sangre for a moment. She appeared innocent enough. He knew there was more to her before she already asked the question. But how much more? What was she? She was obviously in a gigai. No human had eyes like hers; at least not naturally. He did not think Urahara gave out gigai to any hollows except the Arrancar (and the manual labor they had to put in for one bordered on slavery).

"What makes you think that?" Shinji asked.

"Why else would you be here and not helping to defend Soul Society?" Sangre asked. Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"What does Soul Society need defending from?" he asked. He watched Sangre place a hand on her chest. She seemed to push herself out of the gigai in a way he had never seen. Then it was almost as if he was looking at a completely different being. Her hair was shorter. Her skin was paler. Her face had a big black star on it. But what drew Shinji's attention were the horns. They also seemed to grab Hiyori's.

"What the hell is that? Where'd it come..." Hiyori stopped talking when she saw the crumpled gigai on the floor next to Sangre's feet. Sangre was also giving her an angry look. "Oh..."

"Soul Society apparently needs defending from me. I'm curious about the shinigami with hollow powers right now," Sangre said, looking back at Shinji.

"We call ourselves the Vizards," Hiyori said. Sangre nodded. "Why are you curious?"

"I encountered one of your kind. I never caught his name." Sangre appeared thoughtful. "I just started calling him 'little orange shinigami,'" she said.

Hiyori and Shinji looked at each other. Then they started laughing uncontrollably at the nickname, or observation, that Sangre had given to Ichigo. Sangre watched them laugh with an annoyed expression on her face. She was not exactly pleased about the situation. She cleared her throat.

"Does he have a name?"

"No. Keep calling him that. That's hilarious. Wonder why we never thought of it," Shinji said. He stood up straight and looked back at Sangre. "So we have hollow powers. What of it? And why does Soul Society need defending from you?"

"Perhaps we should talk..."

* * *

Outside the warehouse, Lluvia sighed. She knew there was a shinigami hiding just to her left. It would take less than a second to kill them. However, Sangre had given her no such orders and she did not see the point in killing unless she was ordered to or was attacked first. She was a Vasto Lorde; not a monster.

Lluvia could tell that Sangre had just stepped out of the "gigai." The gigai obviously resembled Sangre from before she chopped her hair off. Everyone still wondered where Sangre could have gotten such a thing. Hollows like them did not care for such things. Apparently this time it was useful.

_I wish she would get a move on, though. It's boring out here_, Lluvia thought. The shinigami was still watching her and it was beginning to annoy her. She hated being watched. She began to consider shooting a _cero_ in their general direction to scare them off...

* * *

Yachiru was hiding behind a chimney about three buildings from the warehouse. She had suppressed her reiatsu to almost nothing. Somehow, she could tell the hollow still knew she was there.

_Why hasn't it reacted, though_? she thought. _And why is it just waiting outside like this? Maybe it's just waiting on someone_.

Yachiru glanced around. She used shunpo to get closer by one building. She got a closer look at the hollow. She almost squeaked with delight.

_A Vasto Lorde! It has to be one. It looks just like the description. Only thing is_, Yachiru turned her head to the side, _it looks like a girl_. She shrugged. She bit her lip and used shunpo again.

This time, as she tried to get closer, a blue _bala_ came out of nowhere and hit the roof below her. The tiles flew up into her face, obscuring her vision. Once Yachiru put her foot down again, she realized there was nothing there to land on. Her reaction time and equilibrium thrown completely off, she landed on her backside six stories down.

"Ow," she mumbled. She opened her eyes and realized that she was sitting in front of the Vasto Lorde. She scrambled to her feet, her hand going immediately to her zanpakuto.

"You were spying on me, shinigami," the Vasto Lorde said. Yachiru blinked. It was like listening to Halibel talk; deep, serious, and with purpose.

"Yeah? You tried to kill me!" Yachiru shot back.

"I did no such thing. That _bala_ hit its intended target and that target was not you," the hollow said. Yachiru frowned; she was almost insulted that she was not the target. Before she could inquire about the intended target, the hollow spoke again. "I suggest you leave before my master returns. She is not as forgiving when it comes to those who spy on her. Especially shinigami."

Yachiru stared at the hollow for a moment. Before she could say anything else, violet, orange, and black appeared in front of her. Yoruichi was standing in front of her, staring at the hollow. The hollow continued to remain in a calm state, as if it had no intention of attacking anyone.

"Yachiru, what's going on?" Yoruichi asked.

"I think it's letting me go," Yachiru replied. She could tell Yoruichi was confused because her shoulders relaxed for a moment before the tension built in them again.

"I was not given orders to fight, so I will not. I have no intention of engaging in battle. You are free to leave and I will not pursue," the hollow said. "However, think twice before you spy on a hollow again."

Yoruichi motioned for Yachiru to leave first. Yachiru took off, leaving Yoruichi and the hollow alone. They had a minor stare-down before Yoruichi nodded and followed after Yachiru. Yoruichi easily caught up to the pink-haired lieutenant. She turned her head and looked at her. Yachiru sighed.

"You're gonna tell Kenny, aren't you?" she asked. Yoruichi shook her head.

"Worse." She smirked. "I'm telling Byakuya!" Yoruichi picked up speed, leaving Yachiru with her mouth hanging open.

"No, Yoruichi! _**ANYTHING**_ but that!" Yachiru yelled after her.

* * *

Nnoitra Jiruga was bored to tears. He was so bored that he now found himself disobeying a direct order from the only woman who could incite real fear in him (though he would slice _**HIMSELF**_ to pieces with _Santa Teresa_ before ever admitting that to anyone) and was outside of Las Noches with his right index finger to the sand. He was searching for anything with a high enough reiatsu to give him a challenge.

_Oh come on! There has to be __**SOMETHING**__ around here that is worth killing_! he thought angrily.

Nnoitra was concentrating so hard on his _pesquisa_ that he failed to notice the rather high reiatsu approaching him from behind. When he finally did, it was too late. His head was already in a sand dune a few feet away. Growling, he pulled his head out of the sand and turned, getting ready to _cero_ whoever had the audacity to humiliate him like that to dust. He stopped his tirade before it could start.

"Neliel..." he muttered.

"Why are you out here, Nnoitra? You know Tia said no one is supposed to leave Las Noches by themselves," Nel said, crossing her arms. Nnoitra smirked.

"Well I'm not by myself anymore am I, Neliel?" he asked. Nel rolled her eyes. Nnoitra was about to say something else but before he could, he was looking down the business end of _Gamuza_. "What? No warm-up today?"

"Go inside before Tia realizes that you're missing," Nel said.

"You're missing too, Neliel."

"I was looking for you."

"Really?" Nnoitra pulled the chain of _Santa Teresa_. Nel ducked as it flew over her head. Nnoitra caught it. To any lesser being, he probably would have decapitated them. "I feel so... appreciated."

"Shut up and go inside," Nel said plainly. "I will call Tia. I know you're scared of her."

"I fear no woman, Neliel. Least of all you or Halibel," Nnoitra growled. He attacked her, to which Nel blocked. She jumped up and on his head, bouncing off of him and landind a few feet away. She turned around and smiled happily at him, dodging _Santa Teresa _again. Nnoitra attacked again, causing her to immediately block with _Gamuza_. "Stop smiling. This isn't funny!"

"Oh but it is." Nel threw Nnoitra off of her. "Which appendage would you like mangled today, Nnoitra? Right leg? Left arm?" she asked sarcastically. Nel knew she was just making him angry, but that was the fun in fighting Nnoitra. There was no fun if he was not riled up in some way or another.

"You little..." Nnoitra paused as the tearing of time and space was heard behind him. Nel looked slightly past him.

Two beings stepped out. One looked human and the other was definitely a hollow. Nel squinted; she had never seen either before. She looked down and noticed that Nnoitra was about to use his _pesquisa_. Rolling her eyes, she said nothing and just watched.

"The one with blue hair feels like a Vasto Lorde. The other one is... difficult. She's not human, though," Nnoitra said. They glanced back at the retreating duo. The one who appeared human suddenly removed herself from the fake body she was in. "Not human at all."

* * *

Sangre charged a _cero_ on her index finger as she pointed it to the sands of Hueco Mundo. Lluvia was looking around in the darkness of the night sky. She knew they were being watched. Sangre knew it as well, but decided that she did not want to act upon it; at least not at the moment.

"Two rather powerful Arrancar, it would seem, Lluvia. Let's leave them be for the time being, shall we?" Sangre said. Lluvia nodded solemnly.

Sangre smiled and let the _cero_ fly. The sand was blasted away, forming a makeshift entrance into the Menos Forest. The two jumped down into it, disappearing from sight. The sand quickly filled the hole and Nnoitra walked forward.

* * *

"Now there is someone I want to fight," he said. Nel scoffed as she caught up with him.

"She'd rip you to pieces with her horns alone, Nnoitra. I think that's the one that met Grimmy and Tia. She's mean," Nel said.

"Why can't you ever say something that sounds less childish? She's 'mean?' That's the best way you could describe the bitch?" Nnoitra rolled his eyes.

"Well, she is. She doesn't sound nice," Nel said.

* * *

Yuri searched through the clothes that she had been given. It appeared that her division, a division full of men, had forgotten the one thing she needed: body tape. It was okay that they brought her a regular shihakusho. That was all well and good; she could handle it. But if she was going to wear one the least she could have was some damn tape.

_Guess I'm just gonna have to wing it_, she thought as she shrugged out of her hospital kimono.

A week was how long she had been forced, or better yet, bound to the medical facility in the 4th Division. Unohana would have it no other way. Yuri was cleared to leave, but she was not cleared to train of fight for another week or so.

_I haven't worn a regular shihakusho in so long I forget how these things go_, she thought as she pulled her kosode over her shitagi. _Just so much to wear. I really, really needed that tape, though. Maybe I can avoid Rangiku the entire way back_...

"Surprise! I heard you were getting out today and I gathered some of the girls to come see you off!" Rangiku entered the hospital room. Yuri sighed.

_Shoot me_, she thought drearily. She slowly turned around, fixing her clothes on her. Rangiku, Nanao, Orihime, Momo, and Rukia all appeared confused for a moment. Then Rangiku stated what everyone was thinking.

"Yuri, have your boobs always been that big?" she asked. Yuri ground her teeth together.

"Yes, Lieutenant Matsumoto. They have," Yuri mumbled.

"Well how come I've never noticed? I would've noticed those knockers. They're as big as Orihime's over here." Rangiku gestured to Orihime. Orihime just laughed nervously. Yuri crossed her arms over her chest, trying to push them down.

"I usually tape them down. Since my men apparently couldn't find the tape, I'm stuck like this. Any more impertinent questions, Lieutenant Matsumoto?"

"Just one more. Why would you tape them down?"

"I was in the Onmitsukido, lieutenant. They got in the way. Besides, I'm really short and they look... odd." Yuri gathered her things, actually thankful that someone brought her assigned haori. "Can we get off the subject of my chest?" she asked as she swung the haori over her shoulders and closed it.

* * *

Ichigo tried to keep himself from falling asleep. He was trying his hardest to remain awake. He focused on the sentence again. He knew he had to get his paperwork done. Yuri Awai was coming back to work. She was not as lenient as Hisagi. However, the constant quiet around the 6th Division was... tiring.

_I'd kill for a little noise. Something blow up, please_, Ichigo thought as his eyes finally made it past the first sentence.

Nothing blew up. Nonetheless, a pink and black blur ran into the room. It completely bypassed Ichigo and headed for Byakuya. Byakuya simply looked away from the blur as it attempted to get his attention.

"Byakuuuushiiii!!" Yachiru whined. Byakuya eyed her before returning to his own paperwork. "Why won't you talk to me?"

Byakuya was not talking to Yachiru. Yoruichi had kept her promise and tattled not to Kenpachi but to him. Now he was ignoring her. It was somewhat childish as far as punishments go, but Yachiru was Yachiru and bar keeping candy from her, this was all he knew how to do. Besides, while Byakuya could threaten 12 out of 13 divisions not to give Yachiru candy, she could easily weasel some out of the captain-commander. The man could reduce all creation to ash, but melted like butter under Yachiru's puppy eyes.

"Byakushi!! Talk to me!" Yachiru yelled, her voice going up about three octaves. Ichigo snapped his brush. Yachiru looked over at him as he mumbled curses, looking for another one. Yachiru turned her attention back to Byakuya. "It wasn't my fault. I was just doing my jooooob!"

"Your job is not to put yourself in unnecessary danger, Yachiru. You failed miserably at that," Byakuya said finally. Yachiru appeared to focus on the sound of his voice rather than what he said. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Ichigo snickered under his breath at seeing the great and powerful Byakuya Kuchiki manhandled by a cute pink-haired lieutenant.

"I'm sorry, Byakushi. It won't happen again. Do you..." Yachiru paused as Byakuya presented a box of sweet buns for her. Yachiru smiled. She planted a kiss on his forehead and was gone out of the window with the box.

Ichigo stared out the window for a moment. Then he looked back at Byakuya. The captain had already gone back to his paperwork.

"I thought..." Ichigo was silenced when Byakuya held up a hand.

Five seconds later, Yachiru showed up at the window. She appeared to be choking. She glared maliciously at Byakuya. Byakuya simply stared right back at her. She picked up a sweet bun and threw it full force at Byakuya. He caught it deftly and sat it down on his desk. Yachiru threw another and he did the same. Sighing, she threw one at the unsuspecting Ichigo. It hit him dead in his chest and he fell back from the impact. Then Yachiru looked back at Byakuya.

"You used _**FAKE**_ sugar!" she yelled at him.

"I was not aware that you could taste the difference," Byakuya said calmly.

"This means war... Byakuya." Yachiru turned and left.

Ichigo sat up. He looked at Byakuya. Then he looked at the spot where Yachiru had previously been.

"She must be angry," he said.

"Your reason for stating that is?" Byakuya asked.

"She never calls you by your name."

* * *

"Hado No. Thirty-One: _Shakkaho_," Ren said tiredly.

The red ball of energy flew towards Orihime. She took a deep breath and put up her hands. Without the incantation, her shield appeared. She watched as the red ball shattered her shield. Orihime's eyes widened; the kido was still coming for her. Ren sighed and dissipated the attack. Orihime sank to her knees.

"What happened?" he asked. Orihime looked up at him.

"It worked against Momo," she said. "It worked against everyone else." Ren only smiled and helped Orihime to her feet.

"I'm not Momo or everyone else." Ren appeared thoughtful for a moment. He saw the tanto that Rukia Kuchiki made Orihime carry since the attacks. An idea popped up into his mind. "Orihime, take out your weapon."

Orihime's hand went to the emerald green scabbard with the gray designs that held her little tanto. Rukia had said that it was something she found lying around and with them under the threat of attack, Orihime needed something more to protect her. Whether or not the origins of the weapon were true, Orihime did not bother to ask. She just loved the color. It reminded her of a certain Espada's eyes mixed with her own.

"Orihime?" Ren's voice broke through the fuzzy clouds of Orihime's brain and she looked up. "Glad to have you back. Unsheathe it please."

"What is this for, Ren?" Orihime asked. Ren just smiled at her.

"Do you know Bakudo No. Thirty-Nine?" he asked. Orihime thought for a moment before nodding. "Use you Santen Kesshun, but back it up with the kido. You must be quick with this, Orihime. Ready?"

"Yes," Orihime said firmly. Ren stared at her for a moment. If he hurt her, the wrath of Ichigo, Rukia. Renji, Rangiku, Toshiro, and a few others who were not even of this world would come down upon him.

"Hado No. Thirty-Three: _Sokatsui_."

Orihime was not expecting that spell. It traveled faster than the other one. She immediately threw up her own shield as she spun her tanto.

"Bakudo No. Thirty-Nine: _Enkosen_!" she yelled.

Ren watched with proud eyes as his kido was deflected by Orihime's reinforced shield. Orihime lowered her arms and gathered herself. That was the highest level she had ever attempted so far without the incantation.

"You have a great talent for kido. You're a fast learner, too. Perhaps I'll teach you some of the more advanced destructive spells..." Ren stopped when he saw Orihime waving her hands. "Why not?"

"Not yet, at least. I've seen what a destructive spell gone wrong can do," she said. Ren nodded; she was referring to Renji.

"We're through for today. I'm going to go see what dreadful paperwork Momo has left for me to do." Ren walked off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Orihime skipped into her quarters. She threw her tanto towards a pillow. Before it landed, a pale hand caught it. Orihime's eyes widened. She stepped around to see Ulquiorra standing there. He was examining the weapon with interest.

"Ulquiorra! What are you doing here?" Orihime whispered. Ulquiorra looked at her with wide eyes as if there was nothing wrong with his presence. Sighing, Orihime stepped back and held her hands out towards him. "Bakudo No. Twenty-Six: _Kyakko_."

Ulquiorra blinked. He did not feel any different. He looked up and saw Orihime reaching down to snatch her weapon away from him. He held it out of reach. Sighing, she stood up straight. Then she dove for it again. He simply switched hands. Growing tired of the game, Orihime kneed him in the stomach. It definitely hurt her more than it hurt him, but he gave the weapon back anyway. Orihime turned and limped towards her bedroom.

"Did you hurt yourself woman?" he asked.

"If you weren't built like a brick wall..." Orihime mumbled as she practically fell on her futon. She watched Ulquiorra enter. He certainly had no problems walking in her personal space. "What are you doing here... again?" she asked.

"I..." Ulquiorra stopped. "What was that spell you just used?" he asked.

Orihime may have been naïve and slow on the uptake 10 years ago, but she was a different person now. She knew he had changed to conversation to divert from the attention from himself. She would allow it to go unnoticed this one time. Soon, Ulquiorra would start playing by _**HER**_ rules.

"I'm hiding your reiatsu," she said.

"You're learning kido?"

"I am." She kicked off her waraji. "Why don't you just stay here? You seem to like coming to see me so often. I'm sure we can find something for you to do." Orihime stood up. She walked over to Ulquiorra.

He could feel it. She had become a lot more powerful since the war. Perhaps learning kido was a good thing. She did not know the little dagger was from him, though. He had threatened Rukia within an inch of her life in so many words if she ever told. It all made him wonder why he kept relying on the tiny shinigami when it came to dealing with the one who mattered to him.

_Shouldn't I be able to figure her out? Even after ten years, she still puzzles me; finds ways to surprise me_, Ulquiorra thought.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Yes, woman?"

"You're daydreaming." Orihime smiled. "You don't daydream."

"The sun has set and the moon is out. I don't believe I am, as you eloquently put it, _**DAY**_dreaming," Ulquiorra said. He watched Orihime grow closer to him. She just smiled.

"So... what would you call it? _**NIGHT**_dreaming?"

"Perhaps."

"Isn't that what people do when they sleep, Ulquiorra?" Orihime stared up at him.

"Maybe."

For a moment, it was just them. There was nothing else going on. The world did not exist. There was no such thing as Soul Society or Hueco Mundo or even the world of the living. There was only Ulquiorra Schiffer and Orihime Inoue. However, that moment of serene calm was shattered and shattered in a way that left everyone breathless.

Orihime fell into Ulquiorra, gasping for air. She could barely stay on her feet. It felt like something was sitting on her back, crushing her lungs. Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold her upright. He felt what she was feeling, but it was more because it was shocking to feel such reiatsu. Then without warning, it stopped as quickly as it came. Orihime's wheezing was the only sound heard for a few seconds thereafter.

"Speak to me, woman," Ulquiorra said without looking at her. Instead, he gazed out the window.

"I'm... okay. I'll be fine," Orihime said. She unconsciously put her arms around Ulquiorra. "What was that?" she whispered.

"I don't live in Soul Society, woman. But either someone of substantial power just arrived, or," Ulquiorra looked down at her, "they just died."

* * *

Yachiru mumbled curses as she finished picking up the last of documents she dropped after the massive reiatsu surge. She was still angry at Byakuya. The only reason she had not sent someone like Yumichika to deliver the papers to the 9th Division was because she needed to work off some anger. Then, she goes and drops everything.

_Great. Friggin' fantastic_, she thought as she turned the corner.

Yachiru looked to her left. Something told her to stop. She did so and turned her head towards the Senzaikyu. For a moment, all she could do was stare at the landmark in the center of the Seireitei. She then turned her head to the right and saw a figure in black. She saw the glimmer of a sword in the moonlight. It was drenched in what was unmistakably blood. They turned and gave Yachiru a glare before disappearing. Yachiru looked back at the Senzaikyu. Against her better judgement, she ran all the way to white tower. She slowed when she saw the bodies of the guards hanging off the bridge.

_This is getting creepy_, she thought as she continued to the shrine itself.

Curiously, Yachiru saw nothing at first when she entered the darkened shrine. She entered and slowly made her way to the center. She stopped and made a complete 360, seeing nothing. Then something fell on her cheek. She placed her finger on her face to wipe it away. She looked at her finger and swallowed. Then she glanced up and sighed, her shoulders dropping.

_It's going to be a long, long night_...


	9. Chapter 8: Split

**Extinction**

**Chapter 8: Split**

**

* * *

**

Yachiru found herself standing in the Central 46 chambers not too long after her discovery in the Senzaikyu. She had never been in the chambers before, let alone seen anyone in the Central 46. It was quite a new experience for her. All she could do was stare wide-eyed.

"Lieutenant Kusajishi, do you mind telling us what you were doing all the way in the Senzaikyu?" someone asked from her left. Yachiru could not see who it was, so she just decided to answer into the air.

"I was on my way to drop off these documents to Captain Awai at the Ninth Division when I felt this big increase in the reiatsu. It almost knocked me over. Then it was suddenly gone. When I turned a corner, I saw someone for a moment. Then they were gone. Something told me to go to the Senzaikyu. So, I went. All the guards up there were dead. Then I saw..."

"You seem quite calm for something of this magnitude to have happened," someone cut her off. Yachiru glared in the direction of the voice. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm the lieutenant of the Eleventh Division. I've seen scarier things growing in the showers over there. Not much really fazes me. Sure, it came as a shock. But, was I afraid? No. Besides, the culprit was already gone. I told you that already..."

"You did not."

"Yes. I did. I said I saw someone. Then they disappeared. They had to be the one who did this because their blade was dripping with blood." Yachiru sighed. "Can I go now? Captain Lily will be mad if I don't get my papers to her."

* * *

Unohana sat alone. She stared down at the covered, lifeless bodies before her. Even in the face of such a tragedy, she somehow managed to keep her composure up. She had already made her report on how both had died: run-through and hung by their own zanpakuto and reiatsu sealed. A foreign blade had also been used; whether or not it was a zanpakuto was still a mystery.

But now the senior captain found herself in the solitude of the two bodies that had been found in the Senzaikyu. She could not bring herself to shed a single tear. All she could really feel was a sort of dull anger at the back of her mind that someone would do something so... so... so...

... _heinous_, Unohona thought. She did not hear the door open behind her.

"Captain Unohana?" It was Ukitake and Kyoraku. Of course they would be the ones to come and pull her from her thoughts. "Captain Unohana?" She still did not answer.

"Retsu," Ukitake said firmly. Unohana turned her head to look at him. While her face was soft, her eyes stated something totally different. Both men tried not to cower before her and simply swallowed. "Perhaps you should come out for the night... but only if you want to."

"I suppose you are right, Jushiro. In a time such as this, it will not do to linger in anguish. Come. Let us inform the other captains of the next course of action." Unohana glided over to them. "We must remain as vigilant as possible even in the face of such adversity."

* * *

Orihime was still feeling the effects of the reiatsu from earlier. She had always been one to be able to recognize different reiatsu instantly. Right after Ulquiorra had told her that someone had probably died, her body had become unreasonably hot. Even Ulquiorra had to release her. It was as if a burst of fire had jolted through her. Orihime then reached out for him only to shock him when he took hold of her hand.

_What was that? I could tell whose reiatsu it was but why could I almost emulate it_? she asked herself. _Is he really gone? Are they both really... dead_? She looked out her window at the moon. Then she noticed Ulquiorra returning.

"Ulquiorra, you shouldn't still be here. You'll be the first person they'll pin this on," Orihime said. Ulquiorra made a snorting noise.

"I would leave it were possible, woman. However, it would appear as if they have sealed off any way of leaving this godforsaken place, including _garganta_," he said. "No one is coming to see you tonight?"

"I don't think so..."

"Then nothing will happen." Orihime watched as he took a seat next to her. He always managed to sound so sure of everything.

"Ulquiorra? Who do you think could've killed them?"

"How should I know?"

"I always thought something like that was impossible, you know? I always pictured the captain-commander as this immovable rock; like no one could challenge him. He didn't even seem all that challenged when he took on Aizen, even though I knew it was hard. But never did he look ruffled or worried or anything. What..." Orihime trailed off, staring at the moon outside her window. "What could've brought him _**AND**_ Sasakibe down?"

"How do you know it was both him and his lieutenant?" Ulquiorra asked. Orihime looked back at him, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"The fiery and tingly feeling; feeling the aura their reiatsu gives off through their zanpakuto. I've been able to do it for a while, but since I've started training in kido, it's become stronger." Orihime sighed and laid back on her futon. "I wonder if Yachiru will still need me to go find her a furisode..."

* * *

Yachiru had just finished reciting her story again to the captains and lieutenants. When she was done, the tension in the room was so prevalent that even Yachiru was shaken by it. She looked over to Kenpachi, who motioned for her to stay where she was. Yachiru nodded and looked back up at Unohana.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Kusajishi. You may resume your position next to your captain," Unohana said softly. Yachiru nodded and hurried over to Kenpachi.

"So what happens now?" Toshiro asked.

"Kusajishi said that it was a bladed weapon she saw. It could not have been a hollow, could it?" Ren asked.

"Arrancar use zanpakuto just as we do," Byakuya said.

"But aren't the Arrancar in the same boat as us when it comes to this Sangre hollow? Why would they want to attack Soul Society, too? It doesn't fit," Rukia said.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki makes a solid point," Unohana said tiredly. Isane looked at her captain. She put a hand on her shoulder. "I am fine, Isane. I will be okay for this," she said quietly. Isane nodded and stepped back.

"So someone else came into the Seireitei. Who is strong enough to take on both the captain-commander and Sasakibe? This isn't making sense. One person?" Ichigo said.

"Yachiru said she only saw one person leave. Just because she saw one person leave doesn't mean that there weren't more. I doubt only one person took the captain-commander on and succeeded," Yuri said.

"Wouldn't we have noticed a battle going on? There was no sign of any fight," Soi Fon said.

The captains and lieutenants hushed for a few more minutes. They all looked between the eldest captains for some sort of response from them. Unohana just stared at the floor. Ukitake had a forlorn look on his face. Kyoraku's hat hid his expression. Besides Unohana, they had given their opinion on anything. Everyone had a feeling that this was not going to change for the time being.

"We should send someone to Las Noches and to the world of the living," Ukitake said suddenly. His voice took everyone off guard, causing them to jump. All heads turned towards him, waiting for some explanation behind his words. Ukitake looked at the group. "Just to see if we can get to the bottom of this quickly."

"But who will go? We don't want to stretch our forces too much," Rukia asked her captain. He looked down at her and she nodded. Then she looked back out at the captains and lieutenants. "Volunteers?" she asked.

Another silence befell the group before Unohana cleared her throat. She looked out at the group sternly.

"This is what will happen. Divisions Two, Four, Six, Seven, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen will remain here. Divisions Three and Five will go to Las Noches. Divisions Nine and Ten will go to the transient world. If there is anyone that the captains in the other divisions would like to send with the divisions mentioned, feel free. However, we need to keep Soul Society as protected as possible from future attacks. Any questions?" Unohana asked. Everyone shook their heads. "All right. Captain Kurotsuchi, please have the _garganta_ ready for tomorrow. The Senkaimon will also be ready for passage tomorrow. You all are dismissed for the night."

For a moment, everyone stood there before they slowly started to filter out. It was what seemed like a slow laboring process, but soon enough the assembly hall was empty. Unohana was the last one out. She stared at the empty room before closing the door with a thud and walking away.

* * *

Ichigo caught up with Byakuya and fell into step beside him, an unusual place for a lieutenant to be. Byakuya sighed and made no mention of it. Ichigo was far from the normal lieutenant and he had started just pretending Ichigo did not do half of the stuff he did.

"Byakuya, is it o..."

"Which one is it, Kurosaki? Las Noches or Karakura?" Byakuya asked.

"How'd you know I was gonna ask?"

"Because you're horribly predictable, Kurosaki. Now which one is it?"

"Las Noches..."

"One would think you'd pick Karakura."

"Yumichika and Ikkaku already called dibs on Karakura. Thanks!" Ichigo ran off. Byakuya blinked.

_Dibs? What is this_? he thought.

* * *

A hard knock came at Orihime's door. She gasped and looked towards it. Ulquiorra opened his eyes and rose from his sitting position to go answer it. Orihime immediately grabbed him and motioned wildly with her arms. Ulquiorra watched her with a somewhat questioning look on his face. Sighing, she pointed towards her room for him to hide. He glared at her and she stared right back, silently reiterating her command. He sonido-ed away in silence, leaving her standing there. Orihime fixed her clothes on her and moved towards her door. She opened it to find Momo standing there.

"Hi, Momo. What brings you here?" Orihime asked.

"Come to the captain's office. There's something we have to tell you," Momo said. Then she briskly walked off before Orihime could say anything else. Orihime watched her go before turning back inside the quarters.

_If I leave, the kido will be broken_, she thought as she went to find Ulquiorra. She found him holding up one of her stuffed teddy bears. Smiling, she said nothing for a moment as he examined it. It had been a birthday present from some mysterious person.

"You were allowed to bring items from the transient world to Soul Society?" Ulquiorra asked without looking at her. He squeezed the toy.

"Yes." Orihime frowned. "How did you know I got it from the world of the living?" she asked. Ulquiorra's eyes widened minutely and he dropped the bear back in its place.

"I doubt they make such things in Soul Society, woman," he said stiffly. "Am I allowed to leave, yet?"

"I don't know. When I leave here, the kido will be broken. I need you to suppress your reiatsu. My captain is... 'Uryuu' good when it comes to sensing reiatsu. Now be on your best behavior. I'll be back as soon as possible," Orihime turned walked away.

Ulquiorra watched her go. It seemed that sometimes he forgot she was a shinigami; a rather high-ranking one. He shoved his hands in his pockets and began his wait for Orihime's return.

* * *

Most of the seated officers were gathered in the 5th Division office. It appeared that Orihime was the last to arrive. Ren was leaning against his desk and Momo was at his side. Orihime pushed her way to the front, mumbling apologies as she went along. When she made it, Ren smiled down at her and nodded.

"Well, now that my Third Seat is here, I suppose I can begin. I'm sure all of you have heard the tragic news by now. In light of that, we must keep moving. Captain Unohana has requested that along with the Third Division, I take some of my finest with me to Las Noches. It goes without saying that my lieutenant will accompany me. Orihime, would you be willing to come along?"

"Me?" Orihime looked at Ren. He nodded.

"I don't see why not. You are the Third Seat," he said.

"But there are still so many things that I'm learning..."

"Nonsense. The most this mission will be is reconnaissance and I hear you are quite popular with the Arrancar anyway. You are a good student of kido, Orihime. You will be great." Ren looked back out at the group of officers. "Fourth Seat Tochika will be in charge until the three of us return. Is that clear?" A chorus of heads nodded.

* * *

Ulquiorra stepped out of Orihime's room as she returned. She had a solemn look on her face when she saw him. Then she smiled. Confused by her sudden change of expression, he opened his mouth to inquire but was stopped when she began to speak.

"I'm going to Las Noches."

* * *

Yuri and Toshiro stopped walking next to one another. They stood in the exact same position; arms folded, eyes closed, heads bowed, and scowling.

"Our lieutenants, Yamada from the Fourth, as well as Madarame and Ayasegawa from the Eleventh," Yuri said.

"Will that be enough?"

"It should. It's simply Karakura, right?"

"You've obviously never been to Karakura," Toshiro said cryptically.

"Enlighten me on why it shouldn't be enough, Hitsugaya," Yuri said.

"More resides in Karakura than simply humans, Awai. But for now, Madarame and Ayasegawa will do."

"That'll do."

"That'll do."

The two captains separated and went in different directions.

* * *

"Do you two have to go _**EVERYWHERE**_ I go?" Renji exclaimed.

"Hey, we make an excellent team, Renji. Besides, you know you need us," Rukia said with a smile. Renji frowned and looked away from her.

"That's what I have a lieutenant for. Kira serves me just fine. At least I don't have to listen to ridiculous backtalk from him like I get from you two. The Fifth Division's captain is coming with me. I don't _**NEED**_ you two," Renji said.

"Perhaps it's not a bad idea that they come along," Kira said from behind Renji. Renji turned and looked at him, mouthing the word _traitor_. Kira shrugged. "We are technically going into _**REAL**_ enemy territory regardless if we're at Las Noches."

"Why isn't Kira captain? He's obviously the brains in this duo," Ichigo said.

"Shut the hell up, Ichigo." Renji sighed. "Fine. You can come. But the moment you get on my nerves, I'm killing both of you."

* * *

Sangre sat with her knees drawn up to her chest on a cliff in the Menos Forest. There were several Gillian milling about below her. They had not sensed her yet. She planned on keeping it that way for the time being, as she was lost in her thoughts.

_I remember when it was just me_, she thought as she put a hand to her chest. A smirk came to her face. _If only they knew it could all end so easily_...

Sangre's eyes widened as she felt a sudden change in the reiatsu from just above her. She stood up quickly, looking up. It was coming from just above the "roof." Smirking, pointed a finger and charged a _cero_.

* * *

Ulquiorra stepped through the _garganta_ back into Hueco Mundo. His direction had been a little off, as he was nowhere near Las Noches at the moment. Before he got ready to move, he could feel a massive amount of energy heading his way. He looked around.

_From below_, he thought. He immediately moved to the side, dodging a huge _cero_. He watched something shoot up from the hole it created. Staring with a quite deadpan expression, he saw a hollow dressed in red become visible. _This must be the one called Sangre Negra_.

Sangre took in the sight of the pale, green-eyed Arrancar before her. She had not met this one before. His power seemed to fall somewhere between the blonde Arrancar and the blue-haired one. He did not seem to be all that apprehensive of her. Instead, he appeared to be analyzing her as she was doing him.

_I'm impressed already. No fear in this one, though I'm sure he knows who I am_, she thought.

"Who are you, Arrancar?" Sangre asked. He turned his head to face her fully.

"You wish to know my name? Explain to me why it is important that you learn it," Ulquiorra said. He watched the hollow frown. She obviously was used to getting answers quickly and Ulquiorra had just denied her one and threw one back at her.

"Why can't you just answer the question? I know you know who I am. Is it so hard just to tell me what it is?" Sangre retorted.

"It is not my wish to share my identity with you regardless of whether I know yours or not." Ulquiorra looked around her and saw Las Noches. She seemed to notice where his line of sight was and smirked.

"You are trying to get to Las Noches. That's a daunting task if you wish to get past me, nameless Arrancar," Sangre said. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes slightly.

* * *

Orihime forgot how frightening _garganta_ were before one stepped into them. Mayuri Kurotsuchi threatening to close them up inside of it constantly did her no favors, either. She stared into the black abyss as the group got ready to step inside. She saw Rukia looking around with a puzzled look on her face.

"What's wrong, Rukia?" she asked.

"I'm wondering where Captain Ukitake is. Normally he would've been here to see us off," Rukia said.

"Captain Ukitake is currently doing some research in the archives. You needn't worry about him," Ren said. Rukia raised an eyebrow.

"Research? Research about what?"

"This hollow, I suppose. There has to be some data on her, right? How can something exist and Soul Society never know about it?" Ren looked ahead of him towards the _garganta_. "Let's get ready. Are we all accounted for?" Sure enough, they all were: Momo, Orihime, Renji, Kira, Ichigo, and Rukia stood behind Ren. The 5th Division's captain smiled happily and walked forward with them following.

Orihime brought up the rear. She looked back once as the opening shut behind them, sealing them inside. She was on her way back.

_Back to Hueco Mundo_...

* * *

Urahara fanned himself as he sat outside. He tilted his hat up when a pair of small feet stopped in front of him. He looked up at the short female in a sleeveless shihakusho and sleeveless captain's haori. She had a grimace on her face and her arms were crossed. She carried to weapons strapped to her back. Urahara raised an eyebrow when he noticed the small closed fan and lily stuck in the large ball of hair at the top of her head.

"May I help you?" he asked politely. She finally turned her gray eyes towards him.

"It would seem that I beat my colleagues here," she said. Urahara blinked; her voice was far deeper than he expected. "I am Yuri Awai, captain of the Ninth Division."

"Ah. I was informed that you would be coming, Captain Awai. Where are..." Urahara paused as the rest of Yuri's group caught up with her. Rangiku frowned and stalked up to the much shorter captain.

"No fair, Yuri! We're not all as fast as you!" she yelled. Yuri glared up at her.

"You shouldn't have challenged me to a race if you weren't going to be a challenge, Rangiku!"

"It took us a whole minute to realize that you left an _**AFTER-IMAGE**_! That was totally unfair!"

"It's not my fault you're so slow _**AND**_ a dunce!"

As the two ladies continued to go back and forth, Toshiro sighed and walked over to Urahara. Urahara smiled at him.

"You have something for us?" Toshiro asked.

"Right this way." Urahara turned inside his shop. Toshiro, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Hisagi followed. Hanataro stayed and looked at Yuri and Rangiku. The two were still screaming obscenities at one another.

"Um, ladies..."

"_**WHAT**_?!"

* * *

Grimmjow looked down at the mess of shinigami on his bedroom floor with utter disdain. One minute there had been piece and quiet. He had been in the middle of a nap. Then without warning, a _garganta_ had torn open a few feet away from him, jarring him awake. He had prepared a red _cero_ almost instantly in his right hand. He paused when he saw that all-too-familiar head of orange hair tumble out. The thought crossed his mind to let the _cero_ fly anyway, but he saw that Orihime was there and dissipated it.

_Ulquiorra'd kill me if the girl so much as stubs a toe_, he thought grimly.

Now the shinigami were in a pile of arms and legs, moaning and groaning in pain. It was amazing how not one of them managed to land on their feet. Six shinigami and they all fell flat on their asses.

"What the hell are you all doing here?" Grimmjow asked. As expected, Ichigo was the first to speak.

"Why don't you try helping us up instead of looking down on us like that, Grimmjow," he said. Grimmjow raised an eyebrow.

"I'll pass, Kurosaki. You can help yourselves. You entered _**MY**_ territory. Get up your damn selves," he said.

Ichigo mumbled a few curses and disentangled himself from Rukia. Rukia pulled herself away from Orihime. Orihime unlocked herself from Momo. Momo released Kira. Kira let go of Ren. Ren got off of Ichigo's leg. Once they were all free of one another, they stood and dusted themselves off, trying to regain some dignity. It was then that Rukia noticed that there were only six of them.

There should have been seven.

"Where's Renji?"

* * *

Renji fell out of the _garganta_ elsewhere, but not a place he would have liked to be. He was not in Las Noches. He was not in the Menos Forest. He was in the desert of Hueco Mundo. Sighing, he glanced around for Las Noches. Instead, he saw the one being he hoped to avoid during his stay in Hueco Mundo.

_Shit_, he thought, sagging his shoulders.

Sangre's eyes widened. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. The two had been about to attack one another when the red-haired shinigami captain simply appeared between them. He stood up and looked at Ulquiorra before looking at her. She stared at him quizzically, as if she was trying to place where she had seen him before. Then she smirked.

"You are the captain who kept me entertained. Renji Abarai, is it?" she asked. Renji just stared at her, not moving an inch. "Now why would you be here, Captain Abarai? Hueco Mundo is no place for a shinigami captain."

"No particular reason," Renji replied.

Ulquiorra searched his _pesquisa_. Six others were at Las Noches. Renji was lying through his teeth, but understandably so. Either Sangre had not sensed the others or she did not care to call Renji on his lie. Ulquiorra preferred to think it was the former but something told him it was the latter.

_It could be worse. It could've been the woman who came through that _garganta, Ulquiorra thought. He was suddenly feeling like a third wheel as Renji and Sangre had their little stare-down. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Ulquiorra sonido-ed toward Renji, grabbed the frozen shinigami, and kept going. Something told him Sangre would not follow.

To his surprise, she did not.

Ulquiorra was probably squeezing the life out of Renji without realizing it. He faintly heard a muffled calling of his name and eased his grip on Renji.

"You can let me go!" Renji yelled.

"You won't be able to keep up if I do. Hold on," Ulquiorra said dryly. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating on a certain strawberry's reiatsu.

* * *

"I don't understand. He was right next to me. There's no reason he shouldn't be right..." Ichigo stopped talking as Ulquiorra and Renji appeared. Ulquiorra dropped Renji unceremoniously on the floor, which the latter hit with a dull thud.

"There he is."


	10. Chapter 9: History Lesson

**Extinction**

**Chapter 9: History Lesson**

**

* * *

**

"Murdered, you say?" Halibel looked at the group of shinigami that had entered Las Noches without notifying her. She had half a mind to just kick them out. She had no desire to fight two battles if seven prominent shinigami went missing in the desert sands of Hueco Mundo. Byakuya Kuchiki's younger sister, the substitute shinigami of legend, Aizen's former lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru's former lieutenant, the human they had kidnapped 10 years ago to _**START**_ the Winter War, and two captains; not good if one was trying to keep the peace. "You believe you will find something that leads to the guilty party here in Hueco Mundo?"

"Perhaps. There wasn't a lot to go on in Soul Society," Ren said. Halibel looked at him.

"You don't think it's a bad idea for them to be here, Tia? We're practically asking that mean hollow to attack us. So far she's kept to herself," Nel said. Halibel nodded.

"Besides Renji, how would she know that anyone else is here?" Momo asked.

Everyone present looked at Ichigo.

The flame-headed shinigami glanced around, noticing all eyes were on him. "What? What's with the looks?" he asked, totally oblivious as to why everyone was looking at him.

"Kurosaki leaks reiatsu like a broken faucet does water. Trust me. The red hollow knows that you all are here," Grimmjow said. Ichigo shot him an evil look.

"Are we positive she won't attack?" Rukia asked.

"She seems to have her preferences regarding who, where, and when she will attack. She is not a rampant beast like... Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said from his solitary corner. The comment earned him a glower from the Sexpada.

"Preferences?"

"From what I observed, she tends to change personalities quickly. One moment, she was intent to do battle with me on account that I refused to give her my name. The next, she was, I believe the human term is 'making eyes,' with the red pineapple," Ulquiorra said.

"That just makes her moody," Nnoitra said.

Then it dawned on everyone what Ulquiorra said in its entirety. They all looked at Ulquiorra, who still looked like he always did.

"Did you just make a joke, Ulquiorra?" Nel asked.

"I did nothing of the sort."

"Renji, you 'made eyes' with a mass-murdering hollow? Traitorous..." Rukia said with a wink.

Renji rolled his eyes. "It wasn't like that. She just caught me by surprise." Renji glared at Ulquiorra. "Thanks a lot. Now I'll be hearing it the entire time we're hear. We were _**NOT**_ making eyes."

* * *

Orihime stood in the only lit area of the cell. She stared up and out of the window at the crescent moon of Hueco Mundo. She closed her eyes for a moment, seeing all the terrible events that had happened ten years ago. She remembered how Loly and Menoly trespassed into the room she was in. She remembered how Grimmjow had been her twisted savior at that moment, even it was for his own gain. She remembered healing Loly and bringing Menoly back. She remembered healing Ichigo and how Ulquiorra had caught her in the act. He had looked so disappointed in her. Then she remembered him disappearing after a brief encounter with Grimmjow. Grimmjow then fought with Ichigo. Nel, Nnoitra, Kenpachi, Stark, Aizen... they all flashed in her mind.

But what stuck out most was the battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra. At first, she wanted Ichigo to win. As the battle had gone on, she realized that Ulquiorra was not fighting because he wanted to really kill Ichigo. He just didn't...

... _understand. He didn't understand. He was so confused back then_, she thought. _He reached out for me. I was too slow. I wonder what would've happened if we had touched before_...

Orihime's right arm rose unconsciously, her eyes remaining closed. She could still picture Ulquiorra fading away. While all the other memories had blurred somewhat, this one memory still remained the clearest for some reason. Even if she knew he was alive, roaming the halls of Las Noches and sands of Hueco Mundo, she would never forget how desolate he looked just standing there, disappearing into the sand. She would never forget Ichigo's tortured expression. She would never forget feeling so torn between two people; two sides of a war.

_I wonder if he realized it_, Orihime thought. _I wonder if he realized that I gave him my heart that day_...

Orihime gasped when she felt fingertips against hers. Her eyes flew open and she saw Ulquiorra looking at her. He was watching her curiously, possibly wondering what she was doing. She moved her fingers around between his and intertwined them.

"This is the last room I would expect to find you in, woman. Why are you here?" Ulquiorra asked. Orihime took her eyes off their connected hands and looked at him. She shrugged. "You should be with your friends before your captain comes searching for you."

"I don't think he would mind if I stayed with you." She smiled. "Do you?"

"You wish to stay wi..."

"Neliel, why are you following me?" Nnoitra's voice came from outside the room.

Orihime lowered hers and Ulquiorra's joined hands but did not release him. She turned to see Nnoitra storm past the doorway. Nel was indeed following him with a grin on her face.

"Because I can," Nel said bluntly. She was not fazed when Nnoitra whirled on her and slammed her smaller form against the wall. Instead, she smiled.

Orihime started to go outside to reprimand him, but Ulquiorra squeezed her hand. She turned and looked at him. He was shaking his head.

"Neliel, I believe I have made it clear on _**MORE**_ than one occasion that I can't stand to breathe the same air as you. Why can't you get that through your fucking head? That mask too fucking thick? Maybe it needs loosening. I fixed that problem once. I sure as hell won't hesitate to fix it again," Nnoitra said, leaning down in a threatening manner.

Nel just smiled up at him. "You _**KNOW**_ you enjoy my company, Nnoitra; especially in this form. Don't act like you don't. Otherwise, that would just make you a... pedophile," Nel said. She grabbed him by his hair and pulled him even further down to her face. Nnoitra winced, unable to get out of her grip. "Now come along like a good little boy." She pulled him off down the hall.

Orihime stood, staring out of the door with a puzzled expression on her face. She had never seen Nnoitra be... subdued by anyone before. She jumped slightly when she heard a door slam off in the distance. She turned and looked back at Ulquiorra. The former Cuarta was staring at their intertwined fingers. Orihime released him. He looked up at her.

"Why did you let go? Was I hurting you?" he asked. Orihime immediately shook her head. Ulquiorra nodded and placed his hands in his pockets. Orihime knew that once they went there, unless he needed them, they were not coming back out. She sighed inwardly.

_Why did I let go_?

"Woman."

"Huh?"

"Are you coming or not?" Ulquiorra was already at the door. Orihime nodded and trotted off after him.

* * *

"Seven," Truenos said. "I count seven shinigami in Las Noches; one who obviously has trouble shielding their reiatsu." He walked over to Sangre. The hollow was sitting against a tree, staring off into space.

Lluvia sat next to her. "What do you want to do, Sangre?" she asked. Sangre simply shrugged. "You don't wish to do anything? What if the shinigami start snooping in the forest? What if they start roaming the sands looking for allies among our ranks like before? What if..."

"What if I blow the mask right off your face?" Sangre asked suddenly.

Lluvia swallowed and nodded. "Forgive me, Sangre. I just wish I knew your reasoning for taking this route of doing... nothing. Why are we letting the shinigami stay at Las Noches with the Arrancar?" Lluvia asked.

Sangre looked at her. "Because there is no reason to attack them at this very moment. I see no reason to start an unnecessary fight right now. If they want to fight, they know exactly where to find us. As it stands, there are perhaps three shinigami here that could provide me some sort of enjoyment. The others aren't even at your level of power."

"Do you think they sent some to the transient world?" Truenos asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't the shinigami be thorough in their investigation? I'm not worried about that, though. Those there can handle themselves," Sangre answered. "They're big boys and girls..."

Sangre looked over at the new "pet" she had acquired recently. Her underlings were currently keeping it bound. Hopefully, it would prove to be useful later on. She had found it, sucking up souls at an alarmingly fast rate. It appeared to be somewhat mindless and it was massive. Mindless and massive was a good thing; at least for right now. It had tried to fight Sangre, but soon realized that she was a fight it would not win.

_Yes, my new toy will work out quite nicely later on_, she thought. _I wonder if the Arrancar have any idea what or, better yet, __**WHO**__ this is... or once was_...

* * *

Kyoraku walked into the Spirit Library with Nanao following him. Presently, there was only one person working deep in the large archive: Jushiro Ukitake. Kyoraku walked up to his longtime friend and tapped him on the shoulder. Ukitake did not move. However, he did release some of the tension in his shoulders.

"You shouldn't still be down here, Jushiro," Kyoraku said. "Unohana will be mad..." he said.

"She doesn't have to know I'm still down here. Besides, she's busy." Ukitake let out a long sigh. "How is it that there are all these records and not one has anything on a hollow named Sangre Negra?" he asked.

"You haven't found anything on her, eh? She's obviously a very old hollow. There has to be something on her..."

Nanao looked to her left. Presently, the two captains were going through records about Hueco Mundo. Of course, Hueco Mundo would have everything one would need to know about hollows and such. But something told Nanao that there was something a little bit more to Sangre's story than just Hueco Mundo.

"Excuse me, captains, but maybe we're not looking for a hollow. Maybe we're looking for a shinigami or a human," Nanao said.

Both Kyoraku and Ukitake turned and looked back at Nanao. She was pushing her glasses up on her nose almost nervously because of her suggestion.

"I was just wondering since there doesn't seem to be any information on her here, perhaps we could find some information on her in the other realms, like Soul Society, Hell, or the world of the living. There has to be something on her, whether it's by a different name or something. She couldn't have possibly slipped through the radar for thousands of years. That's impossible, right?" Nanao asked.

Kyoraku and Ukitake looked at one another. Kyoraku smiled and glanced back at Nanao.

"That's my Nanao; always coming up with a plan. What do you say, Jushiro?" he asked.

"What other name would she go by?" Ukitake asked, looking at Nanao. She walked forward, almost pushing the captains out of the way.

"Oh, I'm sure we can find one combination of names that translate into her name..." Nanao whispered. After a few moments of fiddling with the catalog, she pulled up something interesting. All three of them looked at it with wide eyes. "Atra Cruor."

"It says that it's the name of a recently deceased..." Ukitake trailed off. "But that's impossible. How could this hollow be a human? Well, formerly a human. It would take centuries to get to the level of powerful that she's at," he said.

"It _**SHOULD**_ take centuries, Jushiro. However, I don't think we should really pay too much attention to the norm. This is not a normal hollow and she's obviously much older than her human counterpart was." Kyoraku turned around and stretched. "I'm going to go inform Unohana of this. Then I'm going to retire. You should as well, Jushiro. I don't want to have to send Kiyone and Sentaro down for you."

Ukitake sighed and stared at the file for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "Shunsui."

Kyoraku stopped and turned around. He motioned for Nanao to continue on without him. "Something wrong, Jushiro?"

"You seem to be taking it well."

"Ha. I'm probably taking it the hardest, dear friend. But, I don't let it get in the way of what I'm doing or how my subordinates see me. At least, not now. I don't have time to mourn. When I do, I'll mope about and I'll drink so much Unohana will refuse to give me something for the hangover. But not now. As the senior captains, the others are looking to us. We're not allowed to mourn yet." He placed a hand on Ukitake's shoulder. "So don't overwork and get some rest. I meant what I said about Kiyone and Sentaro," he said with a smile.

Ukitake nodded. "I'm going. I'm going. I don't want Unohana to find me down here, either."

* * *

One shinigami sat on the roof of the apartment building where Orihime Inoue's former apartment resided. He stared out at the city of Karakura Town. Not much had changed since the last time he'd been here. It was still the same bustling town with an unbelievable level of spiritual activity around.

_This place just asks to get attacked_, Toshiro thought. _But where do we start with this investigation? Is there even a starting point_?

"In deep thought, Hitsugaya?" a voice too deep for its own good asked.

Toshiro peered over the edge of the roof. Peeking her head out of the window was Yuri. "Just thinking about this investigation we're supposed to be doing. We have almost nothing to go on while we're here."

"Yes, that's true. Isn't there another group of shinigami here in Karakura that might be of some use?" Yuri asked.

"I wouldn't call them shinigami. They prefer to be called the Vizards. And they aren't exactly shinigami-friendly, either," Toshiro said. He tried not to hide his surprise as Yuri was suddenly standing over him in purple pajamas and bunny slippers. "You don't suppose they are helping the hollow, do you?"

"The hollow has a name. I suppose we should start calling her by it." Yuri took a seat next to him. "And I would hope not. However, anything is possible. I hear they are awfully hard to find. You suppose they'll come to us?"

"I have no doubt they will..."

"_**CAPTAINS**_!" Rangiku's voice came from the window below them.

Both silver-haired captains groaned and peered over the edge of the roof to see the strawberry blonde hanging out of the window. She waved at them with a smile.

"Nanao is requesting to see you two! She has news on the hollow!" she said loudly.

Inside the apartment, Nanao's face was large on the screen that linked them back to Soul Society. When she saw Yuri and Toshiro walk up she had to do a double take on Yuri's clothing for a moment. Then she cleared her throat.

"We've made some progress in discovering the identity or previous identity of Sangre Negra. She used to be known as Atra Cruor." Nanao straightened her glasses. "She was a human," she concluded.

"Human?" Toshiro asked.

"How could she have been human? Humans don't die and immediately become hollows with power of that nature. That type of thing takes centuries," Hisagi said.

"No, they don't. Of course, no one ever accused Sangre Negra of being a _**NORMAL**_ hollow, did they? There is something else that is different about her that we haven't yet figured out. But, part of her history is that she was human. For a time, at least," Nanao said.

"For a time? What does that mean?" Ikkaku asked.

"For a portion of the time she went missing from Hueco Mundo, leaving the one called Barragan Luisenbarn in charge, she was human. She had to be gone several centuries. Other than knowing her human identity, we know nothing else about her."

"Would she have been a shinigami for a period of time?" Yumichika asked.

"No idea."

"Lieutenant Ise," Yuri said. Nanao looked at her. "What of the Gotei Thirteen?"

"It was always understood that if anything was to happen to Captain-Commander Yamamoto that Captain Unohana would take his place until another head was chosen. Currently, she is in charge. Everyone is still doing their respective jobs as best as they can," Nanao answered.

"I see. It would be bad to leave the divisions without a leader. Captain Unohana is as qualified as any," Yuri mumbled mostly to herself. "Is that all, Lieutenant Ise?"

"Yes, Captain Awai," Nanao said. "However, I do have one message for you from Captain Unohana."

"What's that?"

"You are not to use your shikai unless absolutely necessary. She still does not consider you healed enough to use your shikai and since she is not there to assist in healing you if you take serious damage..."

"I get it, lieutenant. But, I will not promise the captain anything."

* * *

"You want to go into the forest? Are you mad?" Halibel stared at Ichigo and Renji.

"Listen. It's the only way we're gonna get some answers. We can't just sit around in Las Noches and hope something falls into our lap. That's ridiculous. We're not going looking for fights," Renji said.

"We're just gonna ask a few questions. Is that so bad?" Ichigo said.

Halibel glared at the orange-haired shinigami. The mantra of "do not _cero_ his head off" kept going through her mind. She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. A long sigh escaped her.

"Do as you wish, Abarai and Kurosaki. But do not come crying to me when you return with missing limbs," she said flatly.

Renji and Ichigo hopped up. "We won't be going alone," Renji said.

Halibel narrowed her eyes. She could only assume that he meant either Nnoitra or Grimmjow were going along with them. Or possibly both. They were only going to require assistance from either herself or the other captain later on, so it did not really matter at this point. She waved her hand and the two left her presence.

_I will be glad when this whole ordeal is over_, Halibel thought.

* * *

"It would appear that Captain Abarai is going into the forest ahead of us," Ren said to Momo.

Momo glanced up at her captain. They were outside the main buildings but still inside the dome of Las Noches. "But I thought Halibel told no one to leave Las Noches."

"It seems that she has let up on that. It doesn't matter, though. We will know if something were to go wrong. It looks like Kurosaki is going along with him as well as Jeagerjaques and Kira. Things shouldn't get too complicated," Ren said calmly. He glanced down at Momo.

"Ichigo is going _**WHERE**_?" Rukia yelled, stalking over to Ren and Momo. "Forgive me, Captain Awai. I'm just not understanding why they are leaving when we've been specifically told that the Menos Forest is too dangerous right now."

"Calm down, Rukia. They'll be fine."

"I'm going after..."

"Rukia," Ren said firmly. She turned and faced him. "Let's try to keep our forces spread evenly, hm? I can't very well be left here with one lieutenant. Heaven knows where my Third Seat's gotten off to. Kurosaki will be fine. He's a captain-level lieutenant and can handle himself."

"Unfortunately, he doesn't even have a Twentieth Seat's brain..." Rukia intoned.

Ren and Momo had to laugh at that.

* * *

Sangre hummed to herself. She stood up and jumped down from her tree, landing between two of her subordinates. She looked between them for a moment before grabbing both by the arm. "Come with me, Tormenta and Hielo. We're taking the pet for a walk. Ladies, have some fun but no killing," she said. She paused for a moment. "And bring me the red one."

Truenos appeared confused. "Sangre, what about the rest of us?"

She turned and looked at him for a moment. "Stay here and do nothing. The ladies will take care of the pests." With that, she sonido-ed away with her subordinates.

Truenos sighed and looked at the two commonly known as "the ladies." They appeared to be waiting for him to say something. Truenos motioned for them to leave. They nodded and went in the opposite direction that the other three went.

* * *

"Grimmjow, is the forest supposed to be this quiet?" Ichigo asked as they trekked through the darkness.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "With you talking that loud, I'm surprised something hasn't jumped out and already skewered us," he said dryly. Then he narrowed his eyes. "But it is very quiet. It's almost too quiet."

He was right. There was nothing around them. There was not even the slightest trace of a normal hollow just roaming about. For all intents and purposes, the three shinigami and one Arrancar were the only ones in the forest at the moment. However untrue they knew that was, they could not sense anyone around them.

"We're being watched," Kira mumbled.

"Watched?" Renji asked.

"He's right. I can't see where, but someone is watching us." Grimmjow's eyes flicked from side to side, examining his surroundings. Something purple caught his eye. "Move!"

* * *

Ulquiorra stiffened slightly. The movement was very unnoticeable to the untrained eye. However, Orihime had noticed it. She could tell something had caught his interest. It was either that or something was troubling him.

"What is it, Ulquiorra?" she asked.

Ulquiorra looked at Orihime. Then he grabbed her hand. Without another thought, he concentrated on where her captain was.

* * *

Ren absentmindedly watching Momo and Rukia go at one another. His eyes were focused on the ladies but his senses were focused on something entirely different. He wondered why the other two had not yet felt what he was feeling. It was then that he noticed a shadow hovering over him.

It was Ulquiorra. Orihime was with him and she looked winded.

"Well hello. Ulquiorra, was it? You must've been who my Third Seat was with. Is there something I can help you two with?" Ren asked.

Rukia stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at a spot on the fake sky on Las Noches that was slightly past Momo's head. Momo saw the blank look on Rukia's face and stopped her attack. She turned to see what Rukia was looking at. A gasp escaped her lips.

"Oh my..."

"What is that?"

The sky was... cracking. Rukia vaguely remembered how when Ulquiorra shot a hole through the roof, it was strange. To see the roof cracking from the outside in was even stranger. But to see what came through was troubling, to say the least. Even Ulquiorra looked mildly shocked.

It was Yammy. Or it what had been Yammy at one point. He was enormous. No, he was gargantuan*. The four shinigami and Arrancar stared up at... monster of an Arrancar as he made his way through the hole he had created.

"Is that Yammy?" Nel asked from behind Ren. She was with Nnoitra. "What happened to him?"

"Yeah. Was the fucker always that big in his _resurrección_?" Nnoitra asked.

Ulquiorra shook his head, never taking his eyes off of Yammy. "No. This is what being in your released state for ten years will do. You become a senseless beast. I thought he died."

Nel shrugged. "That's what we all thought. He disappeared after Las Noches was partially destro..."

Their eyes were all drawn to the _cero _forming in Yammy's mouth. He was apparently aiming for Rukia and Momo, who were a fair distance from the others. From the distance they were at from the monster, there was no way they would be able to avoid it. The two just stood in horror.

Finally, Rukia grabbed Momo's arm. She turned tail and ran as fast as she could away from Yammy. She knew that perhaps it was futile, but she had to try to get away from it. It barely registered when she felt arms wrap around her and another voice behind her.

"Bakudo No. Eighty-One: _Danku_!"

The explosion was still substantial. Rukia, Momo, and one of their unseen saviors still went flying through several giant red pillars until they came to rest inside one. Rukia, having been between Momo and the other person, was the first to sit up. Her body was sore but she was none the worse for wear. She looked at the person who had saved them.

"Ha-Ha-Halibel?" she whispered in surprise.

Halibel opened her green eyes. "You shinigami are more trouble than you are worth," she mumbled. She looked past Rukia down at Momo. "How is your friend?"

Rukia looked at Momo, who was coming around and coughing. "It looks like she'll be okay. Who did the kido barrier?"

* * *

Orihime had never seen her captain move so fast. She knew he had been in the Onmitsukido and that he had some level of experience with shunpo. But she had always assumed that he was just average at it. She had barely been able to follow him. She knew that he was a kido master, but she had never seen him do anything to indicate it. Ren Awai was always so... goofy.

But now he stood there, having blocked such a massive _cero_ with only kido, and looked like he could do it again. Had she done that, Orihime probably would have ripped her body apart.

_He still hasn't even drawn his zanpakuto yet_, Orihime thought. She looked back up at Yammy. He seemed confused about something. Then Orihime gasped and pointed.

"Look! There's someone on Yammy's shoulder!" Orihime said loudly. "Or, one of them..." It appeared that Yammy had several "shoulders."

Everyone's eyes followed her finger. Sure enough, there was someone perched on Yammy's left shoulder. They jumped down and looked around at everyone. Yammy seemed to back down for a moment. The one with the mask stopped in front of Ren. They appeared to size one another up without saying anything. Ren was not the type to attack without being attacked first.

"You are not the one with green eyes," the intruder said.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Green eyes?" Then it dawned on him. "Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra pushed Orihime away from him as the new hollow appeared in front of him, tearing off her left kosode sleeve. Orihime landed in Nel's arms, a bit dizzy. She saw Ulquiorra and the other hollow facing one another.

"What is it that you want?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Someone awaits your presence on the dome," the hollow said.

Ulquiorra knew it. Sangre was on the roof and she was not alone. Whoever she was with was significantly weaker than her. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the hollow before him. "What does she want?"

"A test is all. A friendly spar, perhaps? You'll have to ask her when you get there. I suggest you not keep her waiting. She gets awfully agitated when she gets impatient," the hollow said. It looked past Ulquiorra at Nel, Nnoitra, and Orihime. "Me and the big one will stay and have fun down here."

Ulquiorra looked back at Nel. She motioned for him to leave. Ulquiorra turned and sonido-ed over to Ren. The slightly taller shinigami looked at Ulquiorra inquisitively.

"You are just going to leave?" Ren asked.

Ulquiorra nodded. "I have no other choice." He glanced back at Orihime for a moment. She was watching him with worried eyes. "The woman stays here. Do not let her follow me."

Ren nodded. The buzz of sonido signaled Ulquiorra's departure. Ren looked to his left at Yammy. The beast of an Arrancar was as intimidating as ever. Then he looked at the far, far smaller hollow that stood in front of Nel, Orihime, and Nnoitra.

_Choices, choices_, he thought as he drew his zanpakuto. His eyes met Nel's.

"Nnoitra," Nel said quietly.

"Hn?" Nnoitra said, gripping _Santa Teresa_.

Nel helped Orihime to her feet. "On my call, head for Yammy. Orihime, you head for the nearest pillar and hide. Got it?"

Orihime nodded numbly and Nnoitra groaned.

Nel took a deep breath. "Go." She disappeared with Nnoitra.

The hollow appeared shocked for only a moment as the two Arrancar before it disappeared. Soon enough, it had its own hands full by turning to block Ren's attack. "A shinigami captain, I see."

"That's right. Your name, hollow?" Ren asked politely.

"Hielo. And yours?"

"Ren Awai, captain of the Fifth Division. It's a pleasure."

* * *

Ulquiorra made it to the top of Las Noches. He set his feet down and looked around. Looking around, there was no one around. That soon changed as he blocked a blow from a yellow and black hollow. It reminded him of one of those insects from the human world: a hornet. He managed to throw the hollow off of him.

"Excellent. Just what I would expect from one of your caliber."

Ulquiorra looked towards one of the pillars. Sangre was sitting on one of them. A smile was on her face. He resisted the urge to frown and just faced her.

"What is this about?"

"You never answered my question." She stood up. "Your name, Arrancar?"

Ulquiorra sighed inwardly. "Ulquiorra Schiffer."

"Ah. Schiffer, meet Tormenta. Tormenta, that's Schiffer. You boys play nice."

* * *

**AN: Tormenta is "storm" and Hielo is "ice." Yeah, I made Yammy a monster. Hey, he looks like one in manga. I just expounded on that LOL. Blame Kubo-sama.**

***I so RARELY have a chance to use this word in a sentence that I decided that now would be the PERFECT time. Awesome, right?  
**


	11. Chapter 10: Stand By

**Extinction**

**Chapter 10: Stand By**

**

* * *

**

Ichigo shook off his daze. The _cero_ had not been point-blank, but it felt like it had. He doubted Grimmjow's _gran rey cero_ would have been that potent had he been hit with it right in his face. He managed to get to his feet without staggering and looked around for his companions.

The only other one standing up was, predictably, Grimmjow. He was rubbing the back of his head. Grimmjow caught sight of Ichigo immediately and made his way over to him.

"Where are the other two?" Ichigo asked.

Grimmjow shrugged and glanced around. "We need to try and keep from getting ki..."

Grimmjow's words were cut off and something landed between them. Both Ichigo and Grimmjow jumped back. Ichigo drew _Zangetsu_ almost instantaneously. When the dust settled, they were staring at an all-white hollow. It had black hair and black stripes circling the hole on its chest. Once again, it was obviously female. It looked between the two. Its eyes were not visible in the small slits of its hollow mask.

_It's mask looks like Lisa's_, Ichigo thought.

"Did you shoot that _cero_ at us?" he asked.

The hollow looked at Ichigo and shrugged. "Can't remember," she said. Then she looked at Grimmjow. "You. Let's go."

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She faced him completely. "Let's do this. I don't have all day and I want to get in some decent exercise before I have to go. She's not gonna take long."

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow. His reiatsu-sensing skills still ranked as low as possible. He could only feel those within a certain distance of him. So when he looked at Grimmjow, the Arrancar appeared to realize what the hollow before them meant by "_She's not gonna take long_."

"Kurosaki, Las Noches is being attacked!" he yelled at Ichigo.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "What?"

"Head back. I'll stay here and keep this one entertained."

Ichigo looked at the hollow. She turned her head to the side. Ichigo could only assume she was looking at him through the slit on her mask.

"I'm not interested in you, shinigami. Me and my friend are interested in only one of you. However," she looked back at Grimmjow, "he also interests me."

Ichigo was a bit torn. He did not know what that meant, exactly. The only other two shinigami were Kira and Renji. He had no idea where they were at the moment. He was sure they could take care of themselves, but what about the others at Las Noches?

"Kurosaki," Grimmjow backhanded Ichigo as he appeared in front of him, "_**GO**_!"

That set Ichigo into motion.

* * *

Renji pushed broken branches and rocks off of him as he stood up. He looked around and saw Kira was also standing up. The two regarded one another to see if they were all right. After nodding in affirmation they immediately stiffened at the sudden increase in the reiatsu around them. Both turned around to see a small, multi-colored hollow standing on a ledge above them. They both reached for their zanpakuto.

"I am Ventisca. I was sent for," she pointed a small, pointy finger at Renji, "the red one."

Renji's eyes widened. "Huh? Why me?"

"No questions. Just come," Ventisca said. She sounded so innocent. In fact, she reminded Renji a little too much of Ururu if Ururu was a small Vasto Lorde with the intent to kill him. Ventisca disappeared from sight.

Renji had barely drawn his zanpakuto when Ventisca appeared in front of him. Her tiny hand was blocked by Kira's own zanpakuto. The hollow appeared unfazed by this new development.

"You are not my target. I do not want to fight you," she said calmly.

"I can't let you harm my captain." Kira's voice matched the calmness of Ventisca's. They stared at one another in a stalemate. Kira vaguely remembered being in this position before, only it had been a friend that was attacking his captain and not an enemy. Little had he known that his captain had actually been the enemy at that point. He doubted that Renji was the enemy in this situation.

"I see." Ventisca wrapped her fingers around Kira's blade. She raised her left hand. "It appears that I must go through you to get to him," she said. Her hand shot forward towards Kira's abdomen to impale him.

Renji reached around Kira, grabbing Ventisca's hand. "Stop," he said.

Ventisca looked up at Renji. She quickly reversed the hold on their hands. Before anything could be said, Grimmjow went sailing past them overhead. They were all momentarily distracted. Kira was the first one to gain his senses back.

"Raise your head, _Wabisuke_," he said.

Ventisca looked down. She watched Kira's zanpakuto change its form in her hand. Kira worked the hooked end around and then he slashed down, severing her arm from the elbow down. Ventisca jumped backwards, releasing Renji in the process. She looked down at her wound for a moment before looking back at the two shinigami.

"You sure you didn't just piss her off?" Renji asked quietly. He drew his zanpakuto and ran his hand down it, releasing it instantly.

"I'm sure I did. That or she can regenerate that arm quickly. Why do you suppose she's after you?" Kira asked.

"Don't know. Don't particularly care. I would suppose it has something to do with..."

Renji and Kira both realized that they were no longer looking at Ventisca. They quickly looked around, getting ready to attack until Kira sucked in a harsh breath. Renji turned around to see Ventisca with two fingers in Kira's back. She looked up at him.

"You should've just come along quietly. Now," she twisted her fingers, "he will die." She shook Kira off her hand and the blond fell to the ground. She next turned her attention to Renji. "Do not try to attack. It is useless," she said.

_Shit! How can she be so calm about this_? Renji thought angrily. He raised _Zabimaru_, ready to call on his bankai. Ventisca quickly grabbed his arm before he could say anything. Next she planted her knee in his stomach. Renji doubled over, slowly losing consciousness.

"I told you not to fight..."

* * *

"Orihime, no!" Rukia held on tight to Orihime's right arm as the redhead tried to get away from her. Momo held the other. "You've been told to stay here!"

"That's an order, Third Seat Inoue!" Momo yelled.

The two had no idea how physically strong Orihime really was. The redhead managed to break away from the both of them. She turned around and looked at Momo.

"Shun'o," she said. The fairy appeared, looking determined. "Bakudo No. Four: _Hainawa_."

Shun'o flew around the unsuspecting Momo, entangling her in the golden rope. Momo wobbled for a moment before falling down. The fairy returned to Orihime just as she set her sights on Rukia.

"Now, Orihime..."

"Koten Zanshun, I reject," Orihime said. Tsubaki shot forth. Though the attack was relatively weak, it did the job. Tsubaki missed purposely, according to Orihime's will. He simply grazed her side, still drawing blood but causing her to fall back. "I'm so sorry, Rukia and Momo. But I have to do this." Orihime turned and ran off.

"Orihime!" Rukia yelled, struggling to get to her feet. "Orihime, come back!"

* * *

"Come on! I know you can do better than this! You're pissing me off, Arrancar!" The pasty hollow yelled to Grimmjow.

The blue-haired ex-Espada glared up at the hollow. He had just felt a severe drop in both Kira and Renji's reiatsu. "The name's Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, bitch. I thought I told you that," he said.

"Well my name isn't 'bitch' or 'slut.' It's Nieve." She tried to punch Grimmjow but only ended up punching the ground. "Nice evasion, Jeagerjaques. But, I know you're holding back. Why don't you show me that released form I hear you Arrancar have? You aren't much of a challenge without it if you keep running."

Grimmjow glared down at her. Any other day, he would have _**GLADLY**_ given in to her prodding. However, it appeared that Renji and Kira were not fairing well. Though it pained him immensely, his own violent bloodlust would have to be put on hold for the greater... good.

"Sorry. I don't think you're strong enough to warrant my _resurrección_," he taunted.

"What was that?" Nieve stood up straight. She got ready to attack Grimmjow again, but a body stopped her.

Ventisca had appeared between her and Grimmjow. She was holding Renji with her only arm while the other continued to drip with blood. "That is enough, Nieve. I have acquired our assignment. We must return." Ventisca disappeared.

Nieve growled something under her breath but still followed after her comrade.

Grimmjow stood there in confusion. Then he noticed a hand coming over the top of a broken branch. A groan followed. Then Kira pulled himself up slowly. Grimmjow sighed and used sonido to get to the fallen shinigami. He examined the wound in his back.

_It's deep. He should last long enough to get to that girl, shouldn't he_? He hauled Kira up and started back for Las Noches.

* * *

She was alone.

Orihime did not know when they had stopped yelling for her to stop. All she could hear were the sounds of the battle going on above and around her. Orihime could feel it, too. She had never realized just how in sync she was with his reiatsu. She had only felt this reiatsu once before; weighty, overwhelming, vast...

_He's in his second release. He's more powerful than I remember him being, too. Who's pushing him so much_? Orihime thought as she ran. _It's times like this that I wish I knew shunpo_... She glanced to her right at her torn kosode sleeve. With firm resolve, Orihime tore it off, making it match the left side. She discarded the cloth and kept running.

* * *

Ulquiorra took his eyes off of the yellow and black hollow for a moment. _**SHE**_ was headed this way. Despite lacking any sort of skill in shunpo, she was still moving at an alarmingly fast rate. The fight he was involved in would probably not be finished by the time she arrived.

_She should not be on her way here. I left her with that captain of hers for the explicit purpose of keeping her safe. Why is he..._ He barely dodged a yellow bala from the hollow.

"You are distracted, Arrancar. This will not do," the hollow said.

Ulquiorra's frown deepened. Up on the pillars he could see the one called Sangre. She had looked very disinterested in the battle until he entered his _Segunda Etapa_. That was when she had become all eyes and ears. It was as if she had known he had been holding back. She seemed very interested in him now.

_Yet, she has not said a word. What is her aim? I can't drag this fight out any longer if the woman is coming_, Ulquiorra thought.

Sangre continued to watch impassively. The one named Ulquiorra Schiffer was still holding back a great deal, even in this form. In truth, he had not even needed to enter it in order to defeat Tormenta. His first release probably had not even been needed. Tormenta had yet to realize this, though, and was still attacking as though he would win.

_What a nuisance. I cannot afford to lose a perfectly good servant to ignorance. The idiot doesn't even realize Schiffer's just been toying with him_, Sangre thought with a roll of her eyes. She saw Ulquiorra preparing what looked like a black cero. _An instantaneous _Cero Oscuras_. I haven't seen one of those in ages. Interesting_. With a sigh, Sangre disappeared.

Ulquiorra barely had time to register the sight of Sangre phasing in front of Tormenta. Then his eyes widened as he watched white meet black. Their opposing _ceros_ created a massive explosion and the resulting shockwave leveled the pillars behind Sangre and Tormenta. When the dust settled, Sangre was facing Ulquiorra with Tormenta towering over her from behind.

"You blocked my _cero_," Ulquiorra intoned. Sangre nodded.

"I had it under control, San..." Tormenta was cut off as Sangre elbowed him in the gut.

"Fall back, Tormenta. Your job here is done." She turned her attention back to Ulquiorra. "Your _Cero Oscuras_ resembles my _Cero Blanco_."

"Is that what you call that white _cero_?" Ulquiorra asked and Sangre nodded again.

"Yes. I have another, but I cannot do it in this... form. Both our _ceros_ are dense and all-consuming. They seem to cancel each other out; neither overcoming the other. You are very powerful, Schiffer. You could be a danger to me." Sangre met Ulquiorra's yellow and green eyes.

Ulquiorra blinked, but that was all he could do. _What is this? My body... It won't move. I feel so heavy. Is it because of her reiatsu_? Ulquiorra watched Sangre approach him slowly. He did not know how or when, but somehow he was forced down to his knees. Sangre was forming a _cero_ on her fingertips. She pointed it at Ulquiorra's head as she continued to approach. _She going to make sure I cannot regenerate_...

"Goodbye, Schiffer..."

* * *

Orihime summoned her fairies as she reached the dome. Peering around the rocks, she knew what she had to do, no matter how weak it made her afterwards. She looked at her fairies.

"Tsubaki, head for the yellow and black one. You five, I need you to be strong for me. I've never done the binding I've got planned successfully and I really need it to work. Got it?"

"Just point me in the right direction, woman," Tsubaki said. Orihime nodded and took a deep just as she ran around the rocks, Tsubaki flying one way and the other five going another.

_Please let this work_.

"_Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle_!" Orihime watched Tsubaki fly forward, glowing brightly. "Hado No. Sixty-Three: _Raikoho_!" Yellow lightning surrounded Tsubaki.

Tormenta was in such a state of shock that all he could do was watch the bright penetrate his body by his left pectoral muscle. The yellow lightning surrounded his body, leaving him just as shocked as he felt. His mask cracked off around the bottom left half of his face and he fell down. This commotion drew the attention of Sangre, but Orihime was already working on her.

"_Walls of ironsand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright to the end_. Bakudo No. Seventy-Five: _Gochutekkan_!"

Sangre blinked as nothing happened for a moment. She just stared at the redhead blankly, the _cero_ still on her finger. Then a golden aura surrounded her, dissipating the _cero_. Five iron pillars fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Surprisingly, she did not let out a sound as it happened. Ulquiorra seemingly let out a breath he had been holding as the tension left his body.

Despite the slight exhaustion she was feeling, Orihime ran full speed to Ulquiorra. She practically fell before him as they both panted. He had both hands on the ground and was staring at it.

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked. Ulquiorra simply glared at her. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Your help was not needed, woman. I had it under control. You shouldn't even be here." Ulquiorra tried to push himself off the dusty dome only to find that his bones were broken. The pressure that Sangre had been putting him under had literally crushed him. Given a few minutes, his bones would heal. Still, his predicament was a _**MINOR**_ inconvenience given their current situation.

"Men," an irritated voice said from in front of them. Orihime tensed and turned her head slowly. Sangre's fingers were scratching at the stone dome. "They're never thankful," she gained traction with her nails, "for when we females save their asses." Sangre pushed herself off of the dome, throwing the pillars back. Rather than looking angry, she appeared annoyed.

* * *

Ichigo stared up at Yammy. Had he always been that big? Had he always had that many appendages? He had tried hard to suppress a lot of his memories of the war. Seeing Yammy again only brought up the feelings he had after his fight with Ulquiorra. Rather than dwell on them, he was brought from his stupor by Halibel. Ichigo had to do a double-take.

He had never seen her _resurrección_.

"Are you just going to stand there and gawk or are you going to help, Kurosaki?" she asked.

Ichigo shook his head, unable to say anything else. He thrust his arm forward with _Zangetsu_. "Bankai!"

* * *

"Woman, run," Ulquiorra groaned.

Orihime stared at Sangre with a mixture of fear and admiration. She felt odd for admiring the hollow before her, but she did. The female hollow was simply rolling her head around, popping her neck. She finally set her sights on them. Orihime swallowed and reached for her tanto. Sangre blinked a few times and a red _cero_ began forming on her right eye, where the big star was.

_She can shoot a _cero _from her __**EYE**_? Orihime thought in amazement. _But it's weaker. And it's red_.

"Woman, go," Ulquiorra reiterated. Orihime ignored him, instead forming her shield. She unsheathed her tanto.

_I can't do anything higher than Seventy-Five without injuring myself. This may be useless, but at least I know I died trying_, Orihime thought.

"Woman..."

"Shut up, Ulquiorra! Just _**SHUT UP**_!" she yelled. Ulquiorra blinked, snapping his mouth shut. She had never yelled at him like that before. "I stood by and watched you die once. I will not let it happen _**AGAIN**_!"

Sangre's free eye widened. For the first time, she really noticed that the girl was a shinigami. She seemed somewhat attached to Ulquiorra and hell-bent on protecting him, even if it meant she died too. But why? Was he not a hollow?

"Bakudo No. Thirty-Nine: _Enkosen_!" Orihime yelled as she spun her tanto.

Instead of shooting the _cero_, Sangre dispelled it. Orihime in turn stopped the kido. However, she left her Santen Kesshun shield up. Sangre approached a bit further before stopping right before touching the shield. She stared down at the two with a questioning look. Finally, she spoke.

"What is your title?" Sangre asked.

Orihime blinked; it was not what she had been expecting. "Orihime Inoue, Third Seat of the Fifth Division. Why?"

"You are a shinigami; a god of death meant to destroy my kind. Yet, you protect the hollow behind you." Sangre cocked her head to the side. "Why? What is your angle?"

Orihime stared at Sangre. The powerful hollow's red and black eyes were hard. However, there was also a soft curiosity in them. Orihime had seen this look before. Sangre really wanted answers to her inquiry.

"I have no angle. I protect Ulquiorra because I choose to. I protect him because I care for him. I protect him because," Orihime paused and swallowed, "because I love him," she concluded.

Both Sangre and Ulquiorra were shocked at this revelation. The reasons were quite different, however. Sangre briefly glanced at Ulquiorra to see him staring somewhat impassively at the back of the Inoue girl's head. His eyes gave him away even if his posture did not; he was just as stunned as she was. Then Sangre looked back at Orihime.

"The other reasons I can understand. Loyalty and choice I can comprehend. However, love is something I cannot. Beyond a sense of rage, loyalty, and honor, most hollows do not feel. I alone possess the capacity to feel a variety of emotions. Love is something I have never felt. If it causes you to throw away your life, perhaps I am better off without knowing the sentiment." Sangre turned her back on them, letting out a long, slow sigh. "In my current condition, I am too weak to draw upon a proper _cero_. Both of you are too weak to stand." She started to walk off.

"You're leaving?" Orihime asked.

Sangre reached Tormenta and faced Orihime again. "Why does everyone ask that like they _**WANT**_ me to stay and fight?" she asked dryly. "When we meet again, perhaps I'll know more about this _love_ you speak of. And perhaps you will force me to," Sangre looked at Ulquiorra, "transform." She picked up Tormenta with ease despite her much smaller body and used sonido to disappear.

Once the two hollows were gone, Orihime dropped the shield. She blinked a few times before she began to fall forward. Right before she hit the ground, Ulquiorra caught her. He pulled her up to him.

"Woman?" he mumbled. When he received no answer, he checked her pulse. It was weak, but it was there. She had clearly exhausted herself. Her reiatsu was nearly nonexistent. Ulquiorra picked her up and stood. "Silly woman."

* * *

Ren looked out of the corner of his eye as he fended off Hielo. He saw Rukia and Momo return Orihime-less. He frowned a bit as he noticed the small cut on Rukia's side.

_Did she __**ATTACK**__ Rukia? I suppose I'll just have to have a little talk with Orihime when this is over_, he thought. He turned his attention back to the fight as the one named Hielo.

"You aren't taking me seriously, shinigami. Why is this?" Hielo asked.

Ren smiled politely. He threw Hielo back. "Hado No. Fifty-Four: _Haien_!"

The flames caused Hielo to retreat a good distance, just as Ren suspected they would. He smirked for a moment. Hielo glared up at him. Ren blocked his next attack on him.

"You seem not to appreciate heated attacks," Ren said quietly. Hielo said nothing. "Perhaps you should've chosen another adversary; Lieutenant Kuchiki probably would've made a good match."

"Wha..." Hielo stammered as the blade on his arm began to sizzle.

Ren placed his left hand on his zanpakuto as he held Hielo off. "Singe, _Nankinhanabi_."

The katana seemed to ripple for a moment. Hielo moved away from Ren as his tough skin began to burn from the heat his zanpakuto was giving off. It converted into a flame-bladed sword. Ren looked at it appreciatively for a moment before smiling back at Hielo.

"Now I suppose I can finish this."

* * *

Momo, who was waiting behind a broken pillar, watched the fight. She had never seen her captain's release. In fact, she had never even known the type of zanpakuto he had. Apparently, it was a fire-type. She felt Rukia slide down next to her.

"Well, I won't ever spar with him while in shikai," Rukia said. "He'd massacre me."

"You're selling yourself short. Besides, the fight's not even..." Momo was cut off as Ren slashed down across the body of Hielo. A long gash from his mask to his torso appeared. "Well, it looks like it might be over now," she whispered.

* * *

Ren got ready to deliver the final blow. "Your weakness appears to be fire, hollow. That's probably the only thing that gave me the advantage. Other than that, this fight could've gone either way." He pointed his blade at the stumbling Hielo. "_Shoukyakuro_."

The concentrated blast of heat flew towards Hielo at an amazing rate. The hollow did not move to evade it, seemingly accepting his fate. However, a smaller being appeared in the sand in front of him and simply waved it away.

"Am I saving everyone's ass today?" Sangre turned and looked at Hielo. She examined his severe injuries. She hit him in the back of the head. "Get your broken ass on my pet and let's go."

Ren raised a pale eyebrow. "What's going on?" he asked. This was the first time he had seen Sangre.

Sangre turned and looked at him. "I have achieved what I set out to do. Now I'm leaving. Is that all right with you, shinigami? Your fellow Arrancar have taken quite a beating from the pet. I highly doubt you want to get into it with me," she said.

Ren stared at her. She was bluffing and he knew it. Ichigo, Halibel, Nnoitra, and Nel were indeed running on empty, but so was she. Something had caused her to use up a lot of power. He spared a glance at the hand she had used to block his attack. It was blistered but the healing process had already begun. He had a feeling she usually healed much faster.

_What could've drained her so much_? he thought.

As if noticing that he was staring, Sangre decided to take her leave. She took a few steps and disappeared from in front of Ren. She next appeared beside the injured Hielo and Tormenta on one of Yammy's shoulders. She stood and glared down at the tired shinigami and Arrancar. A smirk crossed her face.

"Thank you for the excellent workout. I'll be sure to keep in touch." With that, Yammy left the same way he came, only creating a new hole in the dome.

Ren sheathed his zanpakuto as Momo and Rukia ran up next to him. "Well, that was fun," he mumbled, looking down at Momo. She shook her head in dismay. "What?"

"I almost got roasted by a _cero_ and our third seat put me under one of the strongest Bakudo No. Four's I've ever been in. Has she always been able to incorporate her Shun Shun Rikka with kido?" Momo asked.

Ren faced her fully. "No. I gave her the idea, though. I'm glad to see she's putting it to good use. It should make her a force to be reckoned with." He stopped and looked at Rukia. "Are you okay, lieutenant? You're not too hurt, are you?"

"No. Orihime didn't do any real damage. She did just enough to keep me from following her without injuring myself in the process..." Rukia blinked when she noticed that Ichigo was immediately in front of her. "Ichigo. I thought you were..." Then she slugged him in the jaw.

"_**OW**_! What the hell was that for? First Grimmjow and now you! Why do I keep getting hit?" Ichigo yelled.

"You go into the forest for no reason and just leave me here! That's why! You're probably the whole reason this..."

"He's not the reason." Halibel walked up. She was still in her _resurrección_.

Rukia blinked. She was temporarily stunned because she had never seen Halibel's entire face and, well, Halibel was virtually topless. It was a bit of a surprise.

"So they did not provoke this attack?" Ren asked.

"No." Halibel looked towards the two holes in the dome. "She was simply testing us. She wanted to know how we would fair against her."

"None of us fought her, though," Nel said. She was clearly tired as she was leaning on Nnoitra and he was _**LETTING**_ her do so in front of the others. "She didn't fight at all, actually. We were all fighting Yammy."

"She seemed exhausted when she saved that Hielo hollow. My attack burned her hand and she was regenerating slowly. Something must've made her so tired," Ren said.

Everyone looked around until Rukia came up with the answer. "Ulquiorra."

"_**WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY HOUSE**_?!"

* * *

**AN: "Ventisca" is blizzard. "Nieve" is snow.**

**"Nankinhanabi" means "firecracker." "Shoukyakuro" means "incinerator." Ren's zanpakuto is more based on HEAT rather than actual FIRE... along with something else.  
**


	12. Chapter 11: Red One

**Extinction**

**Chapter 11: Red One**

**

* * *

**

It was Grimmjow who had yelled from outside the dome. He was looking down at everyone as they looked up at him.

Ichigo squinted. Grimmjow was carrying someone; someone blond. "Grimmjow, is that Kira?"

"Huh?" Grimmjow jumped all the way down. "Him? Yeah. He's losing some blood. I made it back as fast as I could, dodging some huge roaming beast. Reminded me of Yammy, actually. But, they got the red pineapple."

"Renji? They took Renji? Why?" Rukia asked.

Grimmjow shrugged. "Dunno. Didn't ask. This one is unconscious and will _**BLEED TO DEATH**_ if someone doesn't do something about it. Where's Ulquiorra's woman?"

"She is not my woman and she too is unconscious. She is in my room, asleep. You will have to make due without her for now," a rather cool voice said from behind the group.

Ulquiorra approached them in new, crisp clothes. He looked as if nothing had ever happened; like no battle had even taken place. He stopped and looked around at the group. He noticed that Halibel had been forced into her _resurrección_. Nel and Nnoitra had already reverted. Grimmjow looked like he'd been in a fight, but when did he not? The only sign that the other captain had been in a fight was that his haori was a bit torn. Other than that, he was fine.

"We are missing one," Ulquiorra noticed.

"Yeah. These two came and took the redhead," Grimmjow said.

"Why is Orihime unconscious? What happened to her?" Ichigo asked.

Ulquiorra glared at him. "She took it upon herself to intervene in my fight with her kido. She simply exhausted herself. She is in no danger. However, it will be a while before she wakes."

Halibel nodded. "I suggest we leave this area while Las Noches heals," she said.

"Las Noches _**HEALS**_?" Rukia asked.

"You didn't think we rebuilt this place by hand, did you?" Nnoitra asked.

Ren sighed. "Well since we don't have Orihime's services readily available, it looks like we'll need some other way of healing Kira. He can't very well heal himself, can he?"

* * *

"How do you think they get these rice cakes wrapped like this, Rangiku?" Yuri asked. She was in Urahara's underground training space. She was simultaneously examining a wrapped rice cake and dodging blows from Ikkaku.

Rangiku was sitting on a rock, cleaning her sheath. "I don't know. Maybe some kind of factory," she said. "I doubt they wrap them by hand."

Yuri dodged a punch with ease. Even in her gigai she was still very fast, strong, and flexible. Well, faster and stronger than the average human. She was dodging every blow without looking. She finally jumped up backwards on a rock to open her snack.

"Just eat it, Yuri. I'm sure it tastes fine," Rangiku said.

Yuri did so. She chewed for a moment. Then she nodded. "It's okay. Nothing like in Soul Society, though." She set her eyes on Ikkaku. Rolling them, she continued to eat.

"Would you get back down here?" Ikkaku yelled.

Yuri finished her snack. Then she stood up, dusting herself off. Before Ikkaku could guess what she was going to do, he was eating her loafer. Her form was perfect. Ikkaku flew back and landed on his back. Yuri landed on her feet.

"Enough. I'll just kick your ass and you know it," she said.

Ikkaku sat up. "Should you fight like that in that little outfit of yours?" he asked snidely, referring to the school uniform she was wearing.

Yuri's eye twitched. "What was that, Madarame?"

Before she could attack again, Hisagi's voice interrupted her. "Yuri, Ren is here! He brought Kira along with him!" he yelled.

Yuri turned and looked at Hisagi. Then she took off running for the ladder. Rangiku and Ikkaku followed quickly.

Ren was talking with Urahara when Yuri and the others arrived upstairs. Hanataro was already hovering over Kira, working his healing kido over the other shinigami.

"What happened?" Yuri asked.

"An attack. The only one seriously injured was Kira. However, Captain Abarai was apprehended by the enemy," Ren said.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Apprehended? You mean kidnapped? Why would they want Abarai?"

Ren could only shrug. "No idea. We aren't really in a position to ask that question, either. We can't exactly go waltzing into the forest and demand that they hand him over. But there are two things I noticed," he said.

"What's that?" Urahara asked.

"One, this Sangre appeared exhausted after her fight with Ulquiorra. She blocked an attack of mine. The attack didn't do much, but it did singe her hand and arm. From what Kurosaki has told me, she heals quickly. She was healing slowly. Ulquiorra confirmed this when she told him that she had been too weakened to shoot a _cero_. Something weakened her drastically during that fight," Ren said.

Urahara tapped his fan against his chin. "I see. I can't imagine what it could possibly be, though. Hollows tend to react better in their natural environment; Hueco Mundo, I mean. What is the second point?"

"The second thing is that I was under the impression that Vasto Lorde were at or above captain-class power. The one I fought was not as powerful as I assumed he would be," Ren said. Then he thought about his words. "Then again, Halibel did say that it was all just a ruse..."

"They were only testing you all?" Hisagi asked.

Yuri shrugged. "It would make sense. The one I battled obviously was the weakest and was probably sent to die rather than actually be effective. Still, he was as powerful, if not more powerful than me. I got extremely lucky that he was so arrogant," she said.

"I doubt the rest of them will be that way. How many are we dealing with? Do you know?" Toshiro asked.

Ren shook his head. "No idea. We need more information on Sangre. How to kill her would be a good start."

* * *

Sangre looked up at Yammy. "So they say his name is Yammy, huh? That's a stupid name. Still, he serves his purpose. He's pretty tough to take down," she said.

Hielo nodded in agreement. "Yes, he is." He looked down at the long gash across his body. He touched the blood as if he had never before seen it. "It's been so long since I have bled..."

Sangre glared at him and shook her head. "When I said to test them, I didn't mean hold back until the point of your own death, idiot. Heal yourself, Hielo. Truenos?"

Truenos came up to her. "Yes, Sangre?"

Sangre held up her still healing hand. The skin was almost completely replenished. "The shinigami who did this to my hand was a captain. I don't doubt he realized that I was weakened from fighting Schiffer and his shinigami woman," she said.

"Maybe you are not yet used to the reishi of Hueco Mundo," Truenos said.

"Maybe. Being in that other realm for so long might've had something to do with it. However, I will be normal soon. I cannot risk transforming while still weakened. I believe they might've realized that we were just toying with them." Sangre glanced around. "Where is the red one?" she asked.

"In your tree, Sangre," Ventisca said. She was rubbing her newly regenerated arm.

Sangre nodded and jumped over to what had been dubbed "her tree." Laying on a branch, unconscious, was the redheaded captain from before. She kneeled not too far from him, watching him sleep. Then she crawled across the branch towards him. She picked up _Zabimaru_ and looked it over. Sangre stuck the zanpakuto in the branch a little ways away and straddled Renji. She leaned down towards his face.

_Odd. He has the most curious markings I've ever seen_, she thought. She traced the tattoos on Renji's face with her index finger. _In place of eyebrows, just like me_...

Renji's eyes began to flutter open. Something rather light was on top of him. Something soft was touching his face. It tickled a bit. When he opened his eyes completely and blinked the blurriness out of them, he paused for a moment. It took him a moment to realize that the being on top of him was the very, very powerful hollow from before. He sat up quickly. She only brought her right leg forward, placed her foot on his chest, and pushed him back down.

Sangre grinned at him. "And just where do you plan on going?"

"Why am I here?" Renji asked. "And why are you on me?"

"Because I like your hair," Sangre answered plainly.

Renji reached around him, searching for _Zabimaru_. He began to get a little worried, seeing that his zanpakuto was not within reach. Then he noticed Sangre holding it up. When had she moved from on top of him?

"Looking for this, Rojo?" she asked.

Renji narrowed his eyes. "Give it here."

"You are in no position to be making demands, Rojo. You have an inkling of how powerful I am. I could crush your bones with my reiatsu alone," Sangre said.

"Is that so? Then why haven't you?" Renji asked, raising his head a bit.

Sangre frowned. She placed _Zabimaru_ at his jugular vein. "Because I like your hair." The grin returned to her face.

"My friends will come for me," Renji said.

"Oh, I'm sure they will. It's hard not to notice when that hair of yours goes missing," Sangre released Renji and sat back on her legs.

Renji watched as she continued to play with _Zabimaru_. He hesitantly sat up. She did not seem to be paying attention to him at the moment. He sighed and watched her. She did not seem like the type to fight with swords. She seemed more like a hand-to-hand combatant.

"So why am I here?" Renji asked again.

"Because..."

"And if you tell me it's because you like my hair again, I'll strangle you."

Sangre smirked at him. "I highly doubt that you would even be able to touch me, let alone get past my foot. Seriously, I do like your hair. I also like your markings. You're also the first shinigami I didn't hate upon first glance. I'm trying to figure out why that is. Maybe it is because you entertained me so much when we first met," she said.

Renji did not quite know what to say to that. So he said nothing at first. Instead, he went for his zanpakuto. Sangre was right; he did not make it past her foot. She simply put her right foot up, nailing him right in the face. Renji recoiled immediately, holding his aching nose. Sangre hid a smile and looked at him.

"You said you like my tattoos?" Renji mumbled through his hands.

Sangre nodded. "They remind me a little of mine."

"I doubt anyone will ever be able to top you in that department. You are an odd hollow. You don't even have a hollow hole," Renji said.

Sangre appeared confused for a moment. She stood, sticking _Zabimaru_ in the large branch. Renji watched her warily as she faced him completely, towering over him. "I'll have you know that I have a hole, Captain Abarai," she said.

"Oh? Where is it? I don't see it," Renji asked.

Sangre smirked. "Sorry, but I can't show you in this form," she said.

"This... form?" Renji whispered.

* * *

Orihime was sitting up and rubbing her head when Ulquiorra returned to his room. He shut the door behind him as silently as possible but she still flinched. Ulquiorra made his way around to her and looked down at her.

"What happened? I don't remember much after that hollow left," Orihime said quietly.

"You fainted from exhaustion. I advise you never to exert yourself like that again," Ulquiorra said.

Orihime glanced up at him. He did not appear to be looking at her any differently. She did remember one tidbit from before: she had admitted that she loved him. Apparently, this revelation had no effect on Ulquiorra. Sighing, she looked away from him.

"Is something wrong?" Ulquiorra asked.

"No."

"You are lying."

"How would you know?"

"Because you are a horrible liar." Ulquiorra stepped forward and made her look at him. "And you cannot lie to me. You've never been able to lie to me."

Orihime knew he was right. She was a bad liar and she could not lie to him. "I'm probably in a lot of trouble with my captain. I attacked both my lieutenant and Rukia. It was against orders for me to go to you..."

"I told your captain to keep you there. You should not have come," Ulquiorra said.

"Ulquiorra, she was going to kill you. If I hadn't come, you'd be dead." Orihime stood up. She stumbled forward towards him, her legs still feeling relatively weak. "If I hadn't tried, you would be gone, again," she said.

Ulquiorra stared at her. "Even at the expense of your own life, you would've stayed to try and save mine?" he asked.

Orihime nodded. "Yes."

Ulquiorra continued to stare at her. Then he shook his head. "Foolishness." He walked around from her. Orihime turned and watched as he motioned towards some clothes folded on a chair. "You have successfully ruined your shihakusho. Feel free to change into that. It is all that I could find that was suitable." With that, he was gone from the room.

Orihime sighed and sank to her knees. Suddenly, she felt as if she had just had the fight with Sangre all over again. _I'm foolish for wanting to save such a dense idiot like Ulquiorra. Foolish indeed_, she thought with a sigh and a chuckle. _Does he even remember what I said out there_?

* * *

Nanao worked tirelessly in the Spirit Library. She had gone through the records of Hell. She had come up bare. Nothing had even shown up as out of the ordinary within the records. There was no trace of anything resembling Sangre. She had looked through Soul Society's records and no shinigami had ever come through the Seireitei's walls with her description.

_There's only one place left to look_, Nanao thought. She hazed towards the immaculate collection of records that belonged to the Spirit Realm.

Not many ventured to that section. There were a few reasons for this. One was that no one simply had any reason to. Two was that it was mostly just painfully boring history. And three was that the interesting stuff was all top secret. Naturally, Nanao went for the top secret stuff.

_If I want answers, I have to play a little dirty_, she rationalized as she flipped through the pages of several records.

"Hey, Nanao!" Yachiru said loudly, suddenly appearing behind the lieutenant.

Nanao let out a yelp. She calmed down and straightened her glasses. "Hello, Yachiru. We are in a library. The rule of thumb is that you should speak quietly," she said.

Yachiru looked around. "But we're the only ones in here." Yachiru shrugged and looked down at what Nanao was reading. "What'cha doing?"

"Researching," Nanao mumbled.

"Researching what?"

"The hollow named Sangre Negra."

"Ooohhh..." Yachiru picked up some more of the history books. "Find anything interesting?" Yachiru asked as she read a little of a book.

Nanao sighed and sat back in her chair. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Nothing useful." She noticed that Yachiru had gone quiet; something which was very odd. She looked up and saw that Yachiru was still reading. "What are you reading?"

Yachiru hummed to herself. "Nanao?"

"Yes?"

"Doesn't time pass differently in the Spirit Realm?" Yachiru looked up from the book.

"Supposedly. I don't know how exactly, though." Nanao raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Yachiru handed her the book. "I think I might've found out where little miss hollow was hiding out for a few centuries."

Nanao looked at the passage that Yachiru had been reading. Her eyes widened considerably as she scanned the page. Then she looked up at Yachiru. "Come on, Yachiru. We have to go tell Captain Unohana."

* * *

Renji watched Sangre. She was laid out on her back across from him on the thick branch. Her eyes were closed and her arms were behind her head. Her face was calm. She appeared to be resting in some way. It was now that Renji took this time to really look at her.

If it were not for the ibex-like horns coming out of her head, she could pass for human. A human with a lot of strange tattoos, but a human nonetheless.

_When she isn't spewing death threats she's kinda cute_, Renji thought. He blinked a few times. _In an evil, maniacal, hollow kind of way. Shit! What the hell is wrong with me? Since when do I think hollows are cute_?

Renji had not realized he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw that Sangre was still in the same position. Gathering some courage, he silently moved towards her via shunpo. That was when he heard a soft snore.

_I can't believe it! She's __**ASLEEP**__! Hollows don't __**SLEEP**_!

Renji looked at the black star on her right eye. All of her markings were extremely intriguing. He traced them with his eyes. There was one thing about the markings, though. They seemed more like...

"... engravings," Renji whispered as he hovered over her. He looked up at Sangre's face to see if she had awakened. His answer was another snore. Renji's eye caught a curious snaky black mark along her collarbone and chest. He inched closer to her and raised his right hand to touch her.

_She smells spicy; like cinnamon_, he noticed.

Right before his fingers made contact, he was being tackled off of the branch.

"_**VERMIN**_!"

* * *

Sangre sat up immediately, rubbing her eyes. She blinked the sleep out of them and looked around. The area around her was clear. _Was that Truenos_? she wondered. She touched her chest. _Why do I feel __**HIS**__ reiatsu on me_?

"How dare you touch her, you filth!" Truenos yelled from the forest floor.

Sangre rolled her eyes. _Well, Truenos isn't in a good mood, is he_?

* * *

Renji tried to get the strong hollow off of him. He could not talk to defend himself in this situation. He was actually hoping all the mayhem had woken Sangre up.

_I'm actually relying on the enemy to save my ass_, he thought morbidly. _Someone kill me now_.

"Truenos, just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Sangre was suddenly behind Truenos. She was yawning and she appeared annoyed with the whole situation. "Did I not say that Captain Abarai was _**NEVER**_ to be harmed?"

Truenos scoffed. "This trash tried to put his hands on you, Sangre," he said.

Sangre blinked. She walked up beside them. "Did he now?" she asked, smiling wide at Renji.

Renji rolled his eyes. _Now I'm positive I'll never hear the end of it_, he thought dismally.

"And just what were you so interested in, Rojo?" Sangre asked. She placed a hand on Truenos, making him slowly release Renji. Truenos stepped to the side and Sangre took his place. "Something about me had you captivated?"

Renji swallowed. He glanced to his left and saw Truenos eyeing him evilly. Then he looked back down at Sangre. "That line across your chest," he said quietly.

"Which one? There are several of these 'lines' across my chest, Rojo." Sangre's smile remained on her face. She grew closer to him. "Go ahead and show me. I promise I won't bite. Neither will Truenos, no matter how vicious he tries to make himself look," she said.

Renji sighed. _She's not gonna let this go, is she_? he thought dismally. He raised his right hand slowly and pointed to the curvy mark along her collarbone that dipped down along her sternum.

Sangre looked down. Her smile wavered for a moment. Then she glanced back up at Renji. "Touch it," she said. His eyes widened for a moment. "You have my permission. Your fingers won't singe off if you simply touch my skin, Rojo. That would almost make killing you shinigami too easy. Don't tell me you're _**SCARED**_."

Renji frowned at her. Gathering some resolve he thrust his index finger forward a little harder than he meant to and jabbed her. Sangre wobbled back a bit. Renji stumbled forward, grabbing her around the waist so she would not fall. She seemed shocked that he bothered to catch her and it showed in her facial expression. Renji did not catch it, as he was too interested in where his finger was.

The mark was indeed like an engraving; there was a slight imprint on her skin. The mark was the only black mark on her chest while the rest were a violent red color. Renji curiously traced it down her sternum. Then he felt something strange.

"You have a heartbeat." He glanced up into her eyes. "That means you have a heart."

Sangre nodded. "Yes, I believe it does. Smart you are, Rojo." She looked down. "You can release me now," she said.

Renji glanced around them. He was holding her off her feet. "Sorry." He let her down. "What the hell does that mean, anyway? Rojo?"

Sangre smirked and brought Renji down to her level by his haori. "It means red." She swiftly popped him on the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious. He began to fall past her, but she caught him with her right arm. "Truenos, drop him back off at Las Noches. I'm going to the transient world. The others should be ready by now."

Truenos took Renji as she handed him off. "Are you sure, Sangre? You're not fully healed yet," he said.

"Do not concern yourself with my safety, Truenos." Sangre walked a little ways past him. She opened a _garganta_. "I am healed enough for this. Besides, I don't plan on doing any fighting; just disrupting the peace." She stepped through the rip and disappeared into the darkness.

Truenos stood there for a moment. Then he heard Renji mumble gibberish and sighed. He jumped up to retrieve the captain's zanpakuto and then headed for Las Noches.

* * *

Orihime adjusted the black sash around her hakama as she walked towards the room where everyone had congregated. She kept feeling like it was going to fall off. It was odd to be dressed in the clothes of an Arrancar again, but strangely she did not mind it. She was glad it was something totally different, though. The only problem she had with it was that while it was different from her previous uniform, it was definitely more...

... _revealing. Why did Ulquiorra give me this to wear_? Her mind drifted back to his words. _If this was suitable, then what wasn't_? Her mind drifted to what Loly had been wearing and she shuddered.

"Wow. You could definitely pass for one of us now," Grimmjow said as Orihime entered. She gave him a frown and he just shrugged. "Just telling it like it is."

"Ulquiorra, why is Third Seat Inoue dressed like that?" Momo asked, looking over at Ulquiorra. "She's dressed like the Second Division captain; only it is white."

Ulquiorra glared at Momo. "Her previous attire was ruined. I gave her more attire. Unless you prefer her to walk around without proper clothing I could easily have her go and put them back on."

"Orihime, why didn't you just fix your clothes?" Rukia asked.

Orihime laughed nervously. "You know, I didn't even think of that, Rukia," she said. "Where's Ren?"

"He's not back from the transient world ye..." Nel stopped talking. She stood up and disappeared.

"Huh. Wonder where she's..." Ichigo was silenced as Ren came through a _garganta_. He was holding a limping Kira. Orihime rushed over to them to help. "Well, there's Ren and Kira," Ichigo said.

Ulquiorra looked off in the direction that Nel had disappeared. "That still doesn't explain where Neliel has gone..."

* * *

Nel made it outside of Las Noches. A sandstorm had arisen. She squinted in the darkness. Staying close to the fortress she walked along, following the reiatsu that had drawn her outside in the first place. She caught sight of a small blue light. Carefully approaching it, she readied her own _cero_ discreetly. Then she stopped as a zanpakuto landed at her feet.

_Is this_... Nel looked up.

"Who's there?" she yelled into the howling wind. She jumped when the static sound of sonido passed her ear and a body was hurled into her chest. She managed to stay on her feet as she slid back several yards in the sand. She looked down, seeing the head of red hair. "Renji?" she whispered. Then she suddenly felt as if every bone in her body was being crushed. She struggled to stay on her feet and hold Renji up at the same time.

"Take the red one and stay out of the forest. We had nothing to do with the death of the shinigami commander," the low voice said from behind Nel.

Nel turned her head to the side slowly. "Really? How do you know he's dead then?"

"I only said he was not killed by hollow hands."

Nel's eyes widened. She tried to turn around completely but the pressure her body was under was too much. She heard Renji groan as if he was in pain. "Stop it. You'll kill him," she said quietly. Miraculously, the hollow behind her stopped. "You listened..."

"I was ordered never to hurt the red one," the hollow appeared in front of Nel, "no matter how much I _**WANT**_ to. He lives for now, as shall you." The hollow turned and disappeared from her sight.

Once he was gone, Nel collapsed to the ground on top of Renji. She was spent from trying to stand and hold a heavy shinigami at the same time. Her pride would not allow her to buckle before the other hollow. She felt as though she had been in battle when all she had done was simply stand.

_His reiatsu was different from those others. The others were powerful in their own right, but he was... something else. They weren't even in the same category as him and it was obvious the others had been holding back_. She started to stand. _And the sad part about it is that Sangre is still even more powerful_...

* * *

Sangre came through her _garganta_ in the human world. She was right on the roof of a building in the middle of Karakura Town. She looked out towards the river that ran through the city.

"Well someone took their sweet time getting here," an annoyed voice said.

Sangre turned her head and glared at the short, snaggle-toothed, pig-tailed blonde. She looked away and put a hand to her chest. "I was distracted," she mumbled. "Anyway, you guys sure know how to cause a ruckus." She looked at Shinji.

Shinji smiled down at her as she approached. "We like to aim high," he said. "Figuratively and literally."

"I see." Sangre looked towards where the Urahara Shop was located. Then her eyes traveled to where Orihime's old apartment was. "Seven are in that direction. Three worth fighting are in that direction. That makes an even ten. Let me see..." Sangre took hold of her right horn. She closed her eyes and broke about three inches off.

Love frowned. "That didn't hurt?"

Sangre's eye was twitching. "The pain was excruciating," she murmured as she broke the piece of her horn into seven different pieces. "Since Hirako over here already had some, the rest of you can partake." She held out her hand.

"What the hell is that?" Lisa asked.

"Don't ask questions. Just eat it," Shinji said. Everyone glared at him. He rolled his eyes. "Listen. There's not enough time right now to go into details. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, just eat the disgusting little woodchip so we can get this shit over with."

Sangre kicked Shinji in his shin after everyone had taken a piece. "My horn is not made of wood, asshole." She walked to the edge of the roof.

Hiyori looked up after swallowing. "Hey! I don't feel any different!"

"Me neither," Mashiro piped.

"Oh, you will," Shinji said cryptically. He watched as Sangre sliced her wrist open. "What are you doing now?"

Sangre hung her arm over the ledge. "Just setting the playing field." She watched as her blood dripped from the wound. "Do you know what my favorite aspect of death is?" she asked.

"No, I don't. How do you even know about the aspects of death?" Shinji asked.

Sangre just shot him a lopsided grin. "Don't let my young appearance fool you. I'm far older than I look." She retracted her arm and looked at the sky. She frowned for a moment, seeing that nothing was happening. "But I'll see if you can guess what it is." Sangre took hold of her left hand.

The Vizards watched with wide eyes and open ears. There was a series of pops and cracks as Sangre wrenched her own hand around violently. Then she completely pulled it off, severing it from her arm completely. She let out a sigh and tossed it out in front of her. With her remaining index finger, she shot a small _cero_. Her severed hand exploded, sending blood everywhere.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Mashiro said.

Sangre glanced up at the sky. There were several tears starting to form around. She smirked and looked behind at the Vizards. They were also beginning to notice the influx of _garganta_ forming around Karakura Town.

"That's what you were doing?" Hiyori asked. "You used your _**HAND**_ as bait? That's sick!"

"Why whenever you speak do you have to yell?" Sangre asked. She looked at Shinji. "I suggest you get going." She opened her own _garganta_ and left as quickly as she came.

Shinji smirked as he belatedly realized what her favorite aspect of death was. _Sacrifice_.


End file.
